#538 Election of the Electors

The best reference for Electoral College

Michael Corleone and Julie Andrews are the citizens of United States. Long ago, they were migrated to US and became the citizen. Both of them are now discussing about the American political system.

Hi Julie, you look very enthusiastic.

Yes Mike. Nearly after 30 years of living in the United States, finally I learned about the American political system

Julie, I have been living here for 40 years and voted on 8 presidential elections. Still I don't understand the system. Why it is so complicated. Why did the founding fathers make it so hard?

No Mike. It is very simple. When I came into this country, the very first book I bought was The Constitution of United States. Finally, I understand the system.

We all left our mother country and came into United States to live with total and complete freedom. I do enjoy freedom; but I could have been happier, if the system is simple.

Come on Mike. In fact, you teach E = mc ²  But, you don't understand how the president is elected in United States.

Albert Einstein said:

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."

"Genius is making complex ideas simple, not making simple ideas complex."

Okay Julie. Are you going to make the Presidential Election simple?

Yes Mike. I should be able to tell my grandkids in simple words, the fact and the truth about the US Constitution; Election of the Senators; Election of the House of Representatives and the Election of the Electors.

Election of the Electors. I never came across this. Are you taking about United States or some other nation.

It is so sad. We have been lying to our kids in the school. Nobody tell the truth.

Lying what?

We keep saying that the people elect the President of United States. It is not true. It is a lie.

Is it not true? Then, who do elect the President?

Citizens elect the Electors and those Electors elect the President.

No Julie. You are wrong. I voted in 8 presidential elections. In the ballot, I saw the names of those President.  Let me give the list of names that I saw in the ballot.

• Barack Obama
• Mitt Romney
• John McCain
• George W. Bush
• Al Gore
• Bill Clinton
• Ronald Reagan
• Jimmy Carter
• Gerald Ford
• Richard Nixon

Yes Mike. These names were there in the ballot. But it is not the right way. It is a very very wrong way.

Really? 

Yes. With these names in the ballot, citizen may think that they elect the President directly. But, that is not true.

If citizens don't elect the President directly, then how could these names appear in the ballot?

Having these names in the ballot is totally and completely against the Constitution. 

What does the Constitution say about the election of the president?

Citizens elect the Electors. So, the ballot should have the names of those Electors?