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The Electoral College: How It Has Shaped the Modern Presidential Election Since 1968

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Every four years that a Presidential election comes to pass the Electoral College is responsible for the formal election of both the President and Vice President of the United States. As an example of an indirect election, where people in each state at large vote in order to decide which individuals will be delegated the responsibility of casting votes for President and Vice President in accordance with the popular vote of the state which has entrusted them to provide such representation, the Electoral College works to ensure that smaller states are not denied the right to have the equal power of influence in our national election for President (Neale, 2004). The Electoral College itself has been in existence since it was introduced …show more content…

This leverage directly effects the ways in which presidential candidates coordinate their campaigns in order to secure the electoral votes of states large enough to impact their electoral vote total. In order for a candidate to secure the presidency he or she must obtain a majority of the electoral votes which currently sits at 270. The three largest electoral vote states, California (55) and Texas (38) and Florida (31), while representing over one fifth of the total electoral votes available provide a window into the way in which politicians view some states versus others. For example, California has been a Democratic Party stronghold in the electoral college for the past two decades. Texas, a Republican Party stronghold for the greater part of three decades, represents the other side of that coin (Office of Federal Register, www.archives.gov) . Considering what seems an insurmountable task for say a Democrat to waltz into Texas and glide off with their 38 votes or a Republican to saunter into California and leave with its 55 it is no wonder politicians are forced to configure their campaigns to allocate millions of dollars in campaign resources to states where their campaigning efforts might matter. Florida, by way of their electoral college results in the proceeding two decades has been that very state. Since 1992 there have been five presidential elections with the Republicans winning 3 and the Democrats 2 (Office of Federal

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