|
January 6, 2021 An On-Line Publication of The Anonymous Anything Society |
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
The Founding Fathers from the smaller, less populous States
immediately realized that States such as Pennsylvania and New York would
dominate in the selection of a President and Vice President if it all
depended on a popular vote.
Therefore, they agreed to the installation of this then novel
compromise in the Constitution of the United States: Each candidate
running for President and his or her Vice President are represented by
electors who are generally chosen from the candidates' political parties.
Many of the details of this process are incorporated in the
various States' laws, but as a rule, it generally boils down to a general
"Winner Take All" situation: When you vote for a President and
partner Vice President whose names appear on the ballot, you are actually
voting for their electors.
Due to the imposition of special pressures imposed by the
incumbent President, Donald J. Trump, this week promises to be a memorable
one.
Phil Richardson, Storyteller and Observer of the Human Condition