The vast majority of people assume that, in a modern democracy, they vote for a candidate by completing a ballot specifically for that person. As such, a mark next to a candidate’s name will be counted along with all the other like ballots and, whichever candidate has the most, is declared the winner.
Whilst there are many different methods and systems for electing public officials, it is generally accepted that the vote you cast is a direct vote for the candidate of your choosing.
This is not the case in the United States of America.
When framing the Constitution, the Founding Fathers created a somewhat convoluted, but elegant process in which American citizens indirectly elect their President. Not wanting to give too much power to the ill-informed
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However, it is now accepted that they should vote in a way which reflects the popular vote in their state.
Many people, both in the United States and around the world, are blissfully unaware of the Electoral College process. Those that do know tend not to understand the intricacies of the system.
Having discussed the process with Americans and non-Americans alike, I have yet to find more than a handful of people who fully understand how the Electoral College works. More often than not, I have found that most did not know that it existed at all, nor that it could have a big impact on the election results.
For example, the Gore vs. Bush election in 2000 is often described as a ‘stolen election’, in which the White House was snatched from the Democrats. Legal action in Florida aside, the result was essentially and rightly determined by the Electoral College. Electorally, the correct candidate, George W Bush, won.
The results in Florida were contested and legal challenges were lodged, citing voting irregularities, following the election night vote count resulting in a Bush win of just 1,784 votes and the subsequent automatic