What type of system is the electoral college?

Answer 1

It's often called ...The 'electoral college system'. It contrasts with ordinary elections where candidates are elected by ordinary voters, that is ordinary citizens. The use of the 'electoral college system' is rare. It tends to be used in cases where those who drew up the electoral laws didn't quite trust ordinary citizens. For example, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany is elected by an electoral college. When the constitution was drawn up in 1949 some safeguards were included to ensure that the country didn't have a directly elected 'supremo' or anything along those lines ... :)

Joncey

The electoral college is an example of representative democracy.

The Constitution provides for election of a president by the people in the states. The states all had very different voting laws. Free blacks could vote in New York, women could vote in New Jersey.

In Connecticut, Congregationalists could vote but Episcopalians could not. In South Carolina, Episcopalians could vote but Congregationalists could not. The Constitution did require that the most voters allowed to vote in each state should be the voters for the Representative in the House of Representatives. The differences meant that early on, republican elements would be emphasized.

But linking the electoral vote to the representation in the House (plus two for senators) meant that over time, the power to elect the president would follow the people, and not be tied to heritage or wealth or power.

Indirect democracy.

Answer 2

When the constitution was established the founding fathers did not think that the general population knew enough to elect people to offices. At first, only Congress elected the President and Vice President without any input from the population. Evenutally, they began the electoral college. This is made up of 535 members of Congress. Each state electors are based on the population of that state ( which can change with census) and there are two sets of electors. One set represents the Republican party and the other the Democratic party. Now, when a man/woman wins the popular vote in Nov. the electors from his party cast votes for him/her to become President. It only takes half of the 535 electors to be elected which is 265 votes. This is one reason each state votes count so heavy today. The right numbers and a man/woman becomes President. It has become a math problem and with the right combination of states ( not all 50) he/she is elected.

Answer 3

First past the post - WINNER TAKES ALL