In the United States, we readily pride ourselves on living in “the oldest and largest democracy in the world.” Well, especially local politicians… However, we are still talking about a country which saw some of its presidents being elected even though they had not received the majority of votes cast by its population.
This has happened five times in the history of the country: three times in the 19th century and twice already since 2000. Eight years ago, for example, Democrat Hillary Clinton obtained 2.8 million votes from more than Republican Donald Trump. But it was the latter who won after winning 304 voters against only 227 for the Democrats.
These famous electors are a legacy of the federalism constitutive of the American nation, which dates from 1787. The strong man (or woman) of the United States is brought to power by a college of 538 people, responsible for representing the American people. We must secure the absolute majority of these (half + 1, or 270), which represents a “filter” desired by the founding fathers, in order to avoid dictators. The names of these electors do not appear on the ballot papers and are generally elected officials or local officials chosen by the parties.
Each state has as many electors as elected representatives in Congress: two each in the Senate (the Upper House, or the Council of States in Switzerland) + a number proportional to the population in the House of Representatives (the Lower House, or the National Council here). The least populated states, such as Wyoming or Alaska, send only three elected officials to the latter, while Texas and California delegate 40 and 56 respectively.
Why Maine and Nebraska are not like the others
Laws adopted in these two states decades ago have meant that, since then, the votes of electors have been calculated differently than elsewhere.
In Maine, local politicians switched to this unique voting system in 1969. Their goal? That minority voters in their state are better represented. During the last election, Joe Biden collected 53.09% of the votes and thus obtained three electors. Donald Trump had only one with his 44.02% of votes cast.
The choice made twenty years later by Nebraska is much more prosaic. More than democratic representation, it was rather a question of attracting the attention of candidates for the presidential election to their state lost in the center of the country and which only distributes five electors. A certain Bobby Kennedy, favorite in the 1968 election, assassinated the evening of his victory in the California primary, had notably passed there. Four years ago, Trump (four major voters, 58.22%) largely beat Biden (1, 39.17%).
For the presidential election, the vast majority of states operate according to the principle of «winner-takes-all» (“the winner takes all”). For example, if Donald Trump won the vote in Florida this year by 3 or 300,000 votes, it is he who would win the 29 electors of this state anyway. If Kamala Harris wins the votes in Illinois by 8 or 80,000 ballots, the 20 local electors will go to her. Only Maine and Nebraska send a number proportional to the votes in their territory (see box).
This year, voting will take place on November 5 – it is already possible by mail two months before. After this day, the electors must gather on December 17 to formalize the victory of one or the other of the candidates. It is on January 6 that Congress is supposed to certify the results. The new president will be sworn in on January 20 and will rule for four years. Finally, if all goes well…
Everything you need to know about the American presidential election
The 2024 United States presidential election will take place on November 5, 2024. On that day, the president and vice president of the United States will be elected by indirect vote. To find out everything about this election and its consequences, click here.
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