What happens if no one gets 270 electoral votes 2020?
A candidate must receive an absolute majority of electoral votes (currently 270) to win the presidency or the vice presidency. If no candidate receives a majority in the election for president or vice president, that election is determined via a contingency procedure established by the 12th Amendment.
What is the purpose of the popular vote?
When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.
Why did the electoral college start?
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
How electoral votes are allocated to states?
Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.
How does the Electoral College work in simple terms?
In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its total number of representatives in Congress. Each elector casts one electoral vote following the general election; there are a total of 538 electoral votes. The candidate that gets more than half (270) wins the election.
Which states have winner-take-all electoral votes?
Voters in each state choose electors by casting a vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. The slate winning the most popular votes is the winner. Only two states, Nebraska and Maine, do not follow this winner-take-all method. In those states, electoral votes are proportionally allocated.
What does the US Constitution say about presidential elections?
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or …
Is electoral college based on population?
Under the “Electoral College” system, each state is assigned a certain number of “votes”. There are a total of 538 electoral votes, and the number of votes each state receives is proportional to its size — the bigger the state’s population the more “votes” it gets.
Are electoral votes all or nothing?
All jurisdictions use a winner-take-all method to choose their electors, except for Maine and Nebraska, which choose one elector per congressional district and two electors for the ticket with the highest statewide vote.
What happens if no one wins Electoral College?
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The Senate elects the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each Senator casts one vote for Vice President.
What date does the Electoral College vote in 2020?
December 14, 2020: Electors Vote in Their States Monday after the second Wednesday in December of presidential election years is set (3 U.S.C. §7) as the date on which the electors meet and vote.
Who decides a contested election?
Constitutional basis Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution states: “Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members”. As a result, the House or Senate have final authority to decide a contested election, superseding even a state legislature or court.
What day does the Electoral College vote?
On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the electors meet in their respective States. The State legislature designates where in the State the meeting will take place, usually in the State capital. At this meeting, the electors cast their votes for President and Vice President.
How are Electoral College members chosen?
Who selects the electors? Choosing each State’s electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each State choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Second, during the general election, the voters in each State select their State’s electors by casting their ballots.
Does Congress certify the presidential election?
In January, Congress sits in joint session to certify the election of the President and Vice President. In the year after the election, electoral documents are held at the OFR for public viewing, and then transferred to the Archives of the United States for permanent retention and access.
What is the direct popular election?
Direct popular election, an election in which people vote directly for the candidate that they want. Popular vote, in an indirect election, is the total number of votes received in the first-phase election, as opposed to the votes cast by those elected to take part in the final election.