This video is compiled by Khan Academy. It talks about the functions of the Electoral College and how the voting process is conducted within the organization. According to this video, the Electoral College is bestowed with the responsibility of electing the President of the United States. It is clear from this movie that though presidents are popularly elected, the final determinant of their incumbency lies in the Electoral College. First of all, the Electoral College is composed of all senators and congressmen from all the 52 states of the United States. The total electoral votes for any given state are dependent on the number of congressional districts within the state and an additional two votes of the two senators that constitute each state.
One important thing issue that is evident within the Electoral College is that small states have a large geographic area. This means that these states have more congressional districts compared to other states. For instance, the state of California, which is considered as the largest state within the United States, has 53 congressional districts compared to a smaller state like Illinois which has 19 congressional districts. The system that is used in voting candidates is ‘winner takes all’ such that voters in the Electoral College vote for the presidential candidate that secures a larger percentage of the votes in a given congressional district except for the states of Washington DC and Nebraska. This creates an interesting scenario whereby a candidate might secure a national popular vote but end up losing the Electoral College vote. According to this video, a candidate requires a total of 270 votes to get a hold of the presidency. In the case of a tie, each state irrespective of the geographic size is given one vote in order to break the presidential tie. In conclusion, this video plays an essential role in civic education especially in explaining the American electorate how the Electoral College works.
Works Cited
Khan Academy. "How we elect our president in the United States." Electoral
College. American Civics, 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.
