HOW DOES THE ELECTION PROCESS PROMOTE POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY &
PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE MINORITY? Essential Question
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Electoral College Basics Popular Vote the true vote of the
people as calculated from the general election Electoral Vote a
representative vote from each state based on the popular vote; each
states # of votes based on population State constitutions determine
how the electoral votes are cast Winner Takes All Congressional
District Winner must reach 269 electoral votes
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How do states usually vote?
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Democratic Election Process? Gerrymandering Drawing of
electoral district lines in a way that gives advantage to a
particular political party. The practice is named after
Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, who submitted to the state
senate a redistricting plan that would have concentrated the voting
strength of the Federalist Party in just a few districts, thereby
giving disproportionate representation to the Democratic-Republican
Party. Some of Gerry's new districts were necessarily odd- shaped;
one district's outline, seen to resemble a salamander, gave rise to
the scornful term gerrymander.
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Gerrymandering Good? The practice has persisted, and
redistricting battles in state legislatures have often had to be
decided by the courts. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries
so-called "racial gerrymandering," which aimed to ensure minority
representation in some districts, was a controversial issue in the
U.S. http://www.fairvote.org/redistricting
http://www.fairvote.org/redistricting
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What are the qualifications to be an elector? The U.S.
Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the
qualifications of electors. Article II, section 1, clause 2
provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an
Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be
appointed an Elector. Article II, section 1, clause 2 provides that
no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust
or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
As a historical matter, the 14th Amendment provides that State
officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the
United States or given aid and comfort to its enemies are
disqualified from serving as electors. This prohibition relates to
the post-Civil War era. As a historical matter, the 14th Amendment
provides that State officials who have engaged in insurrection or
rebellion against the United States or given aid and comfort to its
enemies are disqualified from serving as electors. This prohibition
relates to the post-Civil War era.
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Faithless Electors The Supreme Court has held that the
Constitution does not require that electors be completely free to
act as they choose and therefore, political parties may extract
pledges from electors to vote for the parties' nominees. Some State
laws provide that so-called "faithless electors" may be subject to
fines or may be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be
replaced by a substitute elector. The Supreme Court has not
specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties
for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the
Constitution. No elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to
vote as pledged. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99
percent of electors have voted as pledged.