Today, we’re diving into one of the most debated elements of our American political system—the Electoral College. This is going to be a two-part series, so buckle up! Today, we’ll explore the history of the Electoral College, some interesting stories along the way, and how it evolved into what we know today.

Most Americans have heard of the Electoral College, but many don’t fully understand it. So, let’s take a step back in time to see where it all began.

The Birth of the Electoral College.

The idea of the Electoral College was born during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a time of intense debate and uncertainty about the future of the new nation. Our Founding Fathers faced a significant dilemma: how to choose the President of the newly formed United States in a way that balanced the diverse interests of the states and safeguarded the young republic from potential tyranny.

The delegates were deeply concerned about the possibility of a direct popular vote leading to mob rule or the election of a demagogue. On the other hand, allowing Congress or state legislatures to choose the President raised fears of corruption and too much concentration of power in a central authority. Each option had pros and cons, and the stakes were incredibly high, setting the foundation for a system that would need to endure for generations.

So, the delegates came up with a compromise—what we now know as the Electoral College. It was a way to balance the power between large and small states and between the federal government and the states. The idea was that electors, chosen by each state, would be informed individuals who could make wise decisions on behalf of the people.

It was a novel idea at the time, reflecting the Founding Fathers’ deep concern about democracy’s potential pitfalls. They wanted to protect against what they saw as the dangers of mob rule while still allowing for a form of popular participation.

Working out the kinks: early elections and anomalies.

The first few elections under the Electoral College system were relatively straightforward. George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President in 1789 and again in 1792. But things got more complicated after he stepped down.

One of the most notable early anomalies occurred in the election of 1800 between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. This election ended in a tie between Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr. The decision was thrown to the House of Representatives, which eventually chose Jefferson after 36 ballots.

This election highlighted a significant flaw in the original design of the Electoral College: electors were required to cast two votes, both for different candidates, without distinguishing between their choice for President and Vice President. As a result, the candidate who received the most votes became President, while the runner-up became Vice President, regardless of whether they were from opposing political parties.

This system led to confusion and unintended outcomes, as seen in the 1800 election, where Thomas Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr, tied in the electoral vote count. The tie forced the decision to go to the House of Representatives, leading to intense political maneuvering and exposing the weaknesses of the original system.

The system was quickly changed with the 12th Amendment in 1804 to prevent future conflicts and ensure that the president and vice president would come from the same party. This amendment required electors to cast separate ballots for the President and Vice President, clarifying the roles and preventing such electoral disputes in the future.

Slavery gives southern states more representation.

The three-fifths compromise is one of the most troubling aspects of the Electoral College’s history and the broader framework of our political system. Under this compromise, enslaved Black people were counted as three-fifths of a person to determine a state’s representation in Congress and, by extension, its electoral votes. This dehumanizing formula didn’t grant any rights or recognition to the enslaved individuals themselves. Instead, it served to increase the political power of slaveholding states without granting any actual representation to the people who were enslaved.

It’s important to understand that enslaved Black people did not have the right to vote, nor were they part of the electorate. White slaveholders entirely controlled the political power generated by counting them in this way. This meant that the additional representation and electoral votes given to Southern states under the three-fifths compromise were used by those who owned slaves to maintain and protect the institution of slavery, not to represent the interests or rights of the enslaved people themselves.

In effect, the three-fifths compromise allowed slaveholding states to gain more seats in the House of Representatives and more influence in presidential elections without giving any political power or rights to the enslaved population. The slaveholders wielded this power to further entrench slavery, using the very people they oppressed as a tool to bolster their political influence. This compromise is a stark reminder of how the exploitation of enslaved people was built into the structure of our political system, leaving a dark legacy that continued to shape the nation for generations.

Women’s Suffrage engages half the population.

While the three-fifths compromise highlighted the deep flaws in how representation and power were allocated in the early United States, the struggle for suffrage—the right to vote—would become one of the most significant battles in American history. Suffrage, simply put, refers to the right of individuals to participate in the democratic process by casting their vote in elections.

Initially, the right to vote was restricted to white male property owners, excluding vast portions of the population, including women, Black people, Native Americans, and those without property.

The expansion of suffrage has been a gradual and hard-fought process. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, was a major milestone, prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. However, this amendment did not immediately result in widespread voting rights for Black Americans, especially in the South, where discriminatory practices like literacy tests, poll taxes, and violence were used to suppress Black voters.

The fight for women’s suffrage culminated in the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote after decades of activism and struggle. This was a significant step forward, but like the 15th Amendment, it didn’t guarantee equal access to the ballot for all women, particularly women of color, who continued to face barriers to voting.

It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that more effective protections were put in place to prevent racial discrimination in voting. The Voting Rights Act was a landmark law that finally began to dismantle the systemic barriers preventing Black Americans and other marginalized groups from exercising their right to vote.

The expansion of suffrage fundamentally changed the landscape of American democracy, broadening the electorate and making the government more representative of its people. Each of these milestones—whether it was the abolition of property requirements, the enfranchisement of Black men, or the extension of voting rights to women—reshaped the Electoral College and the broader political system, moving the country closer to the ideal of a government by and for the people.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 throws open the doors to voting access.

While the expansion of suffrage through the 15th and 19th Amendments marked significant progress, it wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that the promise of these amendments began to be fully realized. The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a turning point in American history, as it directly addressed the widespread disenfranchisement of Black Americans and other racial minorities.

The Voting Rights Act was designed to eliminate the legal barriers that had been used for decades to prevent Black people from voting, particularly in the Southern states. These barriers included literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory practices that were specifically aimed at keeping Black voters out of the political process.

The Act also extended protections to other marginalized groups, including Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos, who had similarly faced discriminatory voting practices. By enforcing federal oversight in areas with a history of voter suppression and ensuring that all citizens had equal access to the ballot, the Voting Rights Act marked a significant step toward making the American democratic process more inclusive and representative.

This legislation expanded the electorate and brought the country closer to fulfilling the constitutional promise of equality and justice for all. The Voting Rights Act reshaped the political landscape by empowering millions of Americans previously excluded from the democratic process, reinforcing that voting is a fundamental right for every citizen.

Transforming the electoral landscape by adapting to a growing nation.

As the United States expanded, the Electoral College system continued to evolve. New states were added, and the number of electors increased. By the mid-19th century, political parties had become a dominant force in American politics, and the role of the Electoral College shifted somewhat.

Instead of being a body of independent thinkers making informed decisions, the electors became more of a rubber stamp for the popular vote in their respective states. Most states adopted a winner-take-all system, where the candidate who won most of the state’s popular vote would receive all its electoral votes.

This system has led to interesting outcomes, including several elections where the popular vote winner did not become President. We’ll delve into some of those examples tomorrow!

To Do List

• Review the Origins: Familiarize yourself with the founding of the Electoral College during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
• Understand the 12th Amendment: Learn how the election of 1800 led to the 12th Amendment, changing how Presidents and Vice Presidents are elected.
• Explore the Impact of Slavery: Reflect on how the three-fifths compromise gave the South more electoral power and influenced the system’s development.
• Study the Evolution of Suffrage: Trace the expansion of voting rights through the 15th and 19th Amendments and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.