the presidency: that the victor obtain a sufficient popular vote to enable him to govern (although this may not be the absolute majority), and that such a popular vote be sufficiently distributed across the country to enable him to govern. Such an arrangement ensures a regional balance of support which is a vital consideration in governing a large and diverse nation (even though in close elections, as in 1888, distribution of support may take precedence over majority of support). Far from being flaws, then, the historical oddities described above demonstrate the strength and resilience of the Electoral College system in being able to select a president in even the most troubled of times. Current Workings of the Electoral College The current workings of the Electoral College are the result of both design and experience. As it now operates: Each State is allocated a number of Electors equal to the number of its U.S. Senators (always 2) plus the number of its U.S. Representatives (which may change each decade according to the size of each States population as determined in the Census). The political parties (or independent candidates) in each State submit to the States chief election official a list of individuals pledged to their candidate for president and equal in number to the States electoral vote. Usually, the major political parties select these individuals either in their State party conventions or through appointment by their State party leaders while third parties and independent candidates merely designate theirs. Members of Congress and employees of the federal government are prohibited from serving as an Elector in order to maintain the balance between the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. After their caucuses and primaries, the major parties nominate their candidates for president and vice president in their national conventionstraditionally held in the summer preceding the election. (Third parties...
