Off to College

Week Beginning 10/27/08:

I'm riding the rails south today, headed to a meeting in D.C. As I get closer to our nation's capital, I'm thinking of the power that resides here, and the sense of the upcoming election is almost overwhelming. This election represents so many critical outcomes that will have a major bearing on the future of our Republic. The economy and the role of our federal overseers, international trade and tariffs, national security, foreign policy, taxation, and judicial appointments that will steer the social contract will all be on the table.

As I ponder the weight and responsibility that each citizen has to become an informed voter, it dawned on me that very few of those that will be pulling the lever for the candidate of their choice knows anything about the history or operations of our electoral college, the proces and institution that actually decides the next caretaker of the Oval Office. Try this on for size:

The 1888 Presidential election was very close. Democratic party candidate President Grover Cleveland and running mate Allen G. Thurman of Ohio won the popular election by 95,713 votes. President Cleveland, however, was not re-elected because he lost the electoral college vote by 65 votes. Instead Benjamin Harrison, former senator from Indiana and the Grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was elected as the 23rd President of the United States.

Today a President must win 270 electoral votes, a majority, to become President. If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution provides for Presidential election by the House of Representatives with each State delegation receiving one vote. Twice in our history, the House of Representatives has chosen the President -- Thomas Jefferson's election in 1801 and John Quincy Adams' election in 1825.

The first constitutional crisis occurred when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same number of electoral votes. Even though they were both Republicans and Jefferson was chosen as the Presidential candidate and Burr as the Vice Presidential candidate, it took the House of Representatives 36 successive ballots to finally elect Thomas Jefferson as President. Twenty-four years later, again no candidate received a 131 vote majority of electoral votes needed to become President. In this case, the House of Representatives voted for John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and William H. Crawford on the first ballot.

These instances in our political history remind us of the important role that the Electoral College plays in electing a President. Few voters know that the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the repository for essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of Federal officials and the national experience. A little known function of NARA, however, is the administration of the Electoral College by the Office of the Federal Register. As part of the documentation of the rights of American citizens, the Federal Register plays a key role in ensuring that the complicated and sometimes confusing steps in the electoral process are followed exactly.

The Electoral College was devised by the founding fathers as a compromise between the election of a President by popular vote and by the Congress. The College currently consists of 538 electors -- based on the total number of Representatives and Senators, plus three District of Columbia electors. U.S. territories are not represented in the College. The electors are a popularly elected body chosen by the states and the District of Columbia on the day of the general election
(November 2nd). The slate of electors for the Presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes is recorded on a Certificate of Ascertainment.

Rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, United States citizens cast votes for electors. Electors are technically free to vote for anyone eligible to be President, but in practice pledge to vote for specific candidates and voters cast ballots for favored presidential and vice presidential candidates by voting for correspondingly pledged electors. Most states allow voters to choose between statewide slates of electors pledged to vote for the presidential and vice presidential tickets of various parties; the ticket that receives the most votes statewide 'wins' all of the votes cast by electors from that state. U.S. presidential campaigns concentrate on winning the popular vote in a combination of states that choose a majority of the electors, rather than campaigning to win the most votes nationally.

Each elector casts one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. In order to be elected, a candidate must have a majority (at least 270) of the electoral votes cast for that office. Should no candidate for President win a majority of the electoral votes, the choice is referred to the House of Representatives. Should no candidate for Vice President possess a majority of the electoral votes, the choice is given to the Senate.

The next step is for the electors in each State to meet to cast their votes (this year it will be on December 15th). Certificates of Vote are prepared listing all persons voted for as President and as Vice President and the number of electors voting for each candidate.

NARA plays an important role in educating the states regarding their responsibilities vis a vis the Electoral College. It also ensures the facial sufficiency of the Certificates of Ascertainment and the Certificates of Vote and controls the integrity of the Certificates by limiting the number of people handling the documents. It is responsible for transmitting two of the original Certificates of Ascertainment to the House and Senate and making one original available for public inspection at the Federal Register. Finally, NARA ensures that all 538 electoral votes are accounted for on the Certificates of Vote and are delivered to the Congress to be unsealed and counted on the date of the official tally
(January 6th).

After one year the Certificates of Ascertainment and the Certificates of Vote are placed in the permanent custody of NARA where they serve as an enduring testimonial to the strength and resilience of our political system.

God Bless America!!!