A Conversation for The American Political Party System
The Electoral College System
ITIWBS Started conversation Jun 12, 2008
Something not touched on in the article is the effect of the Electoral College system on forcing the evolution of the two party system in the United States.
Under the current system as formulated in the original text of the Constitution, all of the Electoral College votes of each of the several States go to the party that wins the majority within that state and are voted as a bloc by that state.
This had the effect of mandating candidates for the Presidency who had a strong interstate following and of forcing the evolution of political parties that operated across State lines as a device in the early years of the Republic for building national unity, since no candidate whose constituency was limited to a single State could win in the national elections for the Presidency.
The Electoral College System
J Posted Jun 12, 2008
"Under the current system as formulated in the original text of the Constitution, all of the Electoral College votes of each of the several States go to the party that wins the majority within that state and are voted as a bloc by that state."
Actually, that's a common misconception. States are allowed to prescribe the manner in which their electoral votes are distributed. 48 states and the District of Columbia allocate their votes on a winner take all system. Maine and Nebraska gives each Congressional district a vote and the overall winner in the state two additional electoral votes.
Several other states have joined a pact to award their states' electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote (which would take effect enough once states whose EVs amount to 270 join the pact).
I think that in a country with so many states, it would have been impossible for any party to win the Presidency without a broad appeal even without the Electoral college.
But the reason for our two party system is the single-member district system which characterizes so much of American elections. The Electoral college is just one example of this (and not a very good one, really, given that the states can do whatever they want).
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