The Electoral College has been called “complicated and confusing.” But our Civics Shorts eat “complicated and confusing” for breakfast. This episode explores three Electoral College basics: what is the electoral college, why do we have it, and who are the electors? All aboard!
Transcript
NOTE: This transcript was generated using an automated transcription service, and may contain typographical errors.
Civics 101
Episode: Electoral College Shorts
Nick Capodice: [00:00:00] The Electoral College has been called complicated and confusing. But our civics 101 short series eats complicated and confusing for breakfast. Today's short is designed for middle schoolers. But like all sugary cereals, it's also fun for adults. Enjoy!
Archive: [00:00:18] I was editor of the yearbook. And that's why I think you should elect me president of the student body. Thank you.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:25] Did you ever run for office in high school?
Felix Poon: [00:00:28] No, I have not.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:29] I ran for class president my senior year. I made campaign posters with my face on Rosie the Riveter.
Archive: [00:00:36] Now there is a girl that it really get my vote.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:38] It was a direct election.
Felix Poon: [00:00:40] Oh, a direct election. That's where the voters cast their ballot directly for the candidate they want.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:46] Yeah. A direct election is only one step. Students filled out a ballot for their choice of class president and the vote went straight to that person.
Felix Poon: [00:00:54] Whoever got the most votes won.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:00:56] I got one vote. My own.
Felix Poon: [00:01:00] Ahhh
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:00] It's fine. It's fine. I'm over it now.
Archive: [00:01:05] The 1964 presidential campaign has officially launched-.
Felix Poon: [00:01:09] Presidential elections in the U.S. are not as simple as a student government election. Our presidential election is an indirect election.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:17] You see, voters aren't really voting for the president.They're voting for someone else. Their state's electors.
Felix Poon: [00:01:28] The Electoral College are the people who cast the official final vote for president and vice president.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:34] I'm Jacqui
Felix Poon: [00:01:34] I'm Felix.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:35] This is Civics 101 Shorts.Today, we're going to shine civic tricornlight on the Electoral College.
Felix Poon: [00:01:43] Hold on to your bedazzled tri corn hat.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:01:48] Let's play my favorite game. Let's pretend I'm running for the president of the United States. My opponent, the dreaded Felix Poon. Picture this. It's Election Day and you cast your vote for me.
Felix Poon: [00:02:02] Or me.The votes are tallied up.
Fendall Fulton: [00:02:06] Breaking news, Jacqui has 65 million votes for president, Felix came in with 63 million.
Fendall Fulton: [00:02:14] Yes. Amid defeat. And say hello to your new commander in chief.
Felix Poon: [00:02:19] Not so fast. You won the popular vote, but I won the Electoral College vote!
Fendall Fulton: [00:02:24] Breaking breaking news. Jacqui came in with 227 electoral votes, but Felix got three hundred four electoral votes. Felix has won the presidential election.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:02:34] No, foiled again.
Felix Poon: [00:02:38] Your vote didn't go directly to Jacqui or me. It was used to determine how many votes we'd receive in the Electoral College. And the number of Electoral College votes we received is what actually determined the outcome of the presidential election.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:02:52] Why do we have an electoral college?
Felix Poon: [00:02:55] The framers of the Constitution?
Archive: [00:02:57] Now what are they debating about?
Archive: [00:03:01] They're trying to decide who will be the head of the government.
Felix Poon: [00:03:06] As much as we hear about the framers creating this majestic democracy- when it came down to it they didn't actually trust direct democracy.
Fendall Fulton: [00:03:19] They didn't think everyday folks, like you or me, could elect the right president, vice president, or senators.
Archive: [00:03:28] The people will never be sufficiently informed of character. And besides, will never give a majority of votes to one man. They will generally vote for some man in their own state. And the largest state will have the best chance for the appointment.
Felix Poon: [00:03:43] The founders made an extra step in the process, a safeguard.
Fendall Fulton: [00:03:51] What exactly is the Electoral College?
Felix Poon: [00:03:54] Now, despite the name, it's not a college. It's not even a place. It is a group of 538 people who vote for the president and vice president.
Archive: [00:04:04] The proceedings of the California Electoral College are now in order.
Fendall Fulton: [00:04:08] Each state has a different number of electors.
Archive: [00:04:11] Florida with 25 electoral votes. Virginia with 13.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:04:14] There's an elector for each member of the House of Representatives for that state.Plus, two senators.
Felix Poon: [00:04:20] D.C., our nation's capital, has three even though it's not a state.
Archive: [00:04:26] U.S. And if you can tell, it is too close to call. It's a very, very tight race.
Felix Poon: [00:04:31] Altogether, there are 538 total electoral votes in the U.S.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:04:36] The magic number, is two hundred and seventy.
Felix Poon: [00:04:43] Just over half the Electoral College. Whoever rakes in 270 electoral votes officially wins.
Archive: [00:04:49] We're back now. And we want to tell you that Bill Clinton has been elected president of the United States. Bill Clinton well beyond 270.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:00] So the candidates want to rack up as many states where they can get the most votes.I could have won the electoral votes of Vermont.
Felix Poon: [00:05:08] Three votes.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:10] Virginia.
Felix Poon: [00:05:11] Thirteen votes.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:12] And Tennessee.
Felix Poon: [00:05:13] Eleven votes.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:15] That's three whole states. But if Felix had won just California, he would have way more votes than I did because California is worth fifty five electoral votes all by itself.
Felix Poon: [00:05:30] All right. So who is in the Electoral College?
Archive: [00:05:34] The first order of business is the roll call of electors, Snehal Oggy.
Felix Poon: [00:05:40] They're the who's who they can be, politicians, public servants, celebrities.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:05:45] Each state has it's own laws and rules on who they pick and how.A lot has changed since the founders put the Electoral College in place.
Felix Poon: [00:06:00] Some people wonder if we still need the Electoral College.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:06:03] There've been a few times when voters were not pleased with the Electoral College system. I'm thinking of five particular times when candidates won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College vote and therefore the presidential election.
Felix Poon: [00:06:20] Most recently in the 2016 presidential election.
Archive: [00:06:23] I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us about us on our victory.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:06:34] It also happened in the election of 2000. Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush ecked by win with two hundred seventy one votes in the Electoral College.
Felix Poon: [00:06:47] The Electoral College and indirect elections of our president and vice presidents remain a hotly debated part of our democracy.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:06:54] But as of now, it remains intact.
Felix Poon: [00:06:56] And I won the Electoral College vote in our pretend election. Better luck next time.
Jacqui Fulton: [00:07:00] Oh, there'll be a next time.
Nick Capodice: [00:07:02] Electoral ollege is the process in which we officially elect the president and vice president. State picked electors, cast their vote, and whichever candidate gets 270 or more Electoral College votes wins the whole shebang.
Credits Kid unnamed: [00:07:21] This episode was produced by Jacqui Fulton. With help by Nick Capodice, Hannah McCarthy, Felix Poon, Christina Phillips, Erika Janick, Maureen McMurray, and music by Blue Dot Sessions.