PHOTO: Briefly on the “Electoral College” in the United State of America Election
The
Presidential Election of the United State of America, has come and gone, with
the Republican candidate Donald Trump defeating his Democrat counterpart Hillary
Clinton to the White house.
But what
most of us do not know is that, unlike some of the elections around the world,
or that of Nigeria for instance, the United State Electoral process, especially
that to the office of the President and that of the Vice President, is different.
I know
during the elections, or after the election and the counting of votes, some of
us might have come across the usage of “Electoral
College” by some of the politicians or pundits monitoring the elections, and
did not really get what it actually meant or means in the election of the
United State of America...here is a brief explanation:
WHAT IS
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
This is
group of people that have been elected
by American citizens, and trusted to
elect their preferred candidates in an election on their behalf (Presidential
election).
This group
of people, on the other hand, have to pledge
to vote for such a candidate or candidates in that particular election, as
preferred by these citizens.
The number
of elected persons in the Electoral College has to equal the number of
representatives of such a state in the United State Congress, which the state
is entitled to, according to the constitution...
As it is
currently, there are 538 electors, which are the number representing 435 House
of Representative members and 100 Senators, with the three additional electors
from the Columbia, which only has just three, and the lowest out of all.
In the case
of “winners take all” scenario, apart from such states as Maine and Nebraska,
all other states have its electors pledged to the “winners take all”
Presidential election, while the states of Maine and Nebraska use the
congressional district method, where they select one elector within each
congressional district by popular vote and selecting the remaining two electors
by state wide popular vote...the elector also, has every right by law to change
vote and not vote for the person or candidate he or she has pledged to vote
for, and the federal law allows this.
Any
candidate who receives an absolute
majority of the electoral votes which is (270), both for the President, while
the Senate elect the vice President, wins the election. But in case of any of
the candidates not making the absolute majority, then the house of
representatives will select the President and Vice President (12th
amendment)
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