Rural areas of the U.S. have different concerns than those issues that urban America faces. If the candidates cater only to the concerns of those people in big cities, much of the citizens will be ignored.
The problem with the electoral college as it currently exists is that it is a winner-take-all proposition in most states. For instance, a candidate could win only 51% of the popular vote in California and walk away with all of California's 55 electoral votes. In contrast, another candidate could win 99% of the popular vote in Nevada and only gain 5 electoral votes.
It might be better if electoral votes were divided proportionately in all states. That way, the 49% of the citizens who voted for the losing candidate in California in the example above would not be neglected (split 28/27). If this were the case, 5 or 6 small states would be worth fighting for to counter a large state like California.
Although each state holds presidential elections every 4 years, the actual "election" is held about a month later by the "Electoral College". The results from the "General Election" are generally transferred through the Electoral College, but the "Delegates" are not required to vote as their state did. The candidate with 270 Electoral Votes becomes president. Although the state by state elections are based on "Popular Vote", the actual election is solely based on the Electoral College. I.E. 2000, Gore v. Bush (Gore won the National Popular Vote while G. W. Bush won the Electoral Vote).
Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, the incumbent President were the candidates in 1828. It was the first election for Jackson's Democratic Party which was formed after Jackson lost out in 1824, despite leading in both the popular vote and electoral vote. It was the first election in which two national parties ran national campaigns.
The Electoral College was created as a compromise between slave states and free states. Slave states were worried that the more populous northern states would dominate national politics, and the idea of using electors for deciding the President was adapted to counter this.
The President and the VP are the only officials who answer to a national electorate. Contests for the White House generally draw more voter interest and turnout than any other kind of election.
The US President is chosen by the Electoral College, which is obligated by law to vote according to the results of the popular election in all but two states. The number of Electors for each state is determined by their population as a percentage of the total US population, counted during the last census. For this reason, it is possible for a candidate to win the national popular election, but lose in the electoral college. Electoral members can and HAVE voted for other then the candidate they were sent to support
States to amend their election law
In 1876 the Electoral College made Hayes president in the course of one of the most contentious elections in national history. He lost the popular vote to Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, but won an intensely disputed electoral-college vote after a Congressional commission awarded him twenty contested electoral votes.
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well with out a president our economy would go down. other no as we would have no money, we might die, other countries could land a bomb on us.
Franklin Pierce was elected President in 1852 . The national election was held on November 2, 1852.
A direct popular election is a system where the president is elected solely based on the national popular vote, with each citizen's vote given equal weight. The electoral college, on the other hand, is a system where the president is elected indirectly, with electors chosen by each state based on the state's representation in Congress. In this system, the winner of each state's popular vote typically receives all of that state's electors, and the candidate who wins the majority of electoral votes becomes the president.
The 538 members of the 2008 Electoral College and their votes for President and Vice President are listed, state-by-state, on the National Archives web site at http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/certificates-of-vote.html .