America’s Electoral College Demystified

America’s Electoral College Demystified

The Illusive American Election System that is the Electoral College and the popular vote has come under sharp criticism in the recent past. All due to the fairly organized campaigned and conducted American elections that were held on the 9^th of November 2016. A day that most if not all Americans would want to forget very fast, owing to the fact that most of them free citizens of a major super power voted in a non-popular, arrogant, aggressive, American Businessman, Author and former Television personality; 70 year old, Donald John Trump. Who launched his presidential campaign in 16^th June 2015 amidst all bickering and downplay from critics and undercover fanatics world over. Many of whom thought that he didn’t stand a chance against big wigs Republican candidates like Texas Senator; Ted Cruz who was tallied at 25% and Ohio governor John Kasich who had 18% against Trump’s 46.5% in the Republican party. He beat all odds to fight it out tooth and nail against the 67^th United States Secretary of State; Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton. A fight that was almost similar to Kenya’s elections of 2008 that saw CORD Leader Raila Odinga splashed all over as the most favorite candidate to win the elections according to local pollsters, but during the elections the former president Mwai Kibaki went on to win it. As did Donald Trump during the 2016 U.S presidential elections, beating his arch rival Hillary Clinton despite being highlighted as the favorable candidate with 46% against Trumps 42%.

Americans and people worldwide were shocked to hear that infamous Trump with his harsh campaign strategies of putting up a wall around America’s border to Mexico. That withstanding he is still the United States President Elect, but even though he garnered a mere 60,071,650 votes as compared to Hillary’s popular vote of 60, 467, 245 votes. What does this then mean? Most people may argue out the fact that once you get the majority vote it is then clear that you become the president. Well, that might be the case in most countries, but not the ‘U.S of A’. A country that has everything unique or customized just to suit them, take for instances everywhere else there is football as we know it. But, in America it’s a different kind of ball game all together bearing the same name as football. With their elections there is the introduction of the Electoral College which was instituted back in 1787 during a constitutional convention to decide on how to elect the president at the time. This convention was to use the Virginia plan to award the different states that agree to the plan, as a basis of argument to deciding on the next president of the United States. This meant that the different states appoint or elect individuals that will be similar to the states number in congress and that majority vote by the different states be apportioned to the presidential tally as seats in the electoral college. 

Americans take to the ballot to help in electing the President and his Vice not directly but through a rather sieved process of choosing electors that will in part choose through pledges the next president. A State is accorded a specific number in the electoral college which is same as the number represented in the congress and which is based on the populous of the citizens it holds. Only the District of Colombia got granted a lesser number of it's electors as a state by the twenty-third Amendment, it currently holds a minimum of 3 as compared to the other states which bring the tally to a total of 538 electors. The constitution also restricted the eligibility of federal officials to vie either through a process of election or appointment to the electoral college. If for any reason a candidate fails to garner all the 270 votes through a popular vote, then the process moves to the house of representatives, who correspond to the Electors and Senators. The House is represented by 435 members of whom if the Twelfth Amendment of choosing a candidate through the electoral vote, then each representative gets to campaign through state delegation and this entitles only one single vote from the state. This is somehow different when it comes to the Vice President failing to receive all the required numbers, this process gets pushed to the Senate where the senators get only one vote to decide on their next vice president. And in recent years the US presidential candidates most have garnered the electoral college vote and also the popular vote, but historically Donald Trump gets to the white house on a electoral vote. A system he was cited rubbishing in 2000 during Algore's run when he won the popular vote, but failed to get the Electoral vote.

These is how the arithmetics of the electoral college distribution stands as of the American census conducted in 2010. States combined are; Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming got 24 from the initial 3 that they had, combined states like; Hawaii, Idaho, Maine**, New Hampshire, Rhode Island all have 4 electors making their tally to 20 electors. Nebraska, New Mexico, West Virginia all have 5 electors, some gainers are Nevada, Utah having 6 electors each, South Carolina with 9 electors, Washington with 12 electors, Arizona with 11 electors, Georgia with 16, Florida on 29 electors and finally Texas with a whopping 38 Electors. Most of the Republican states thrive in the Electoral college for they hold most of the smaller states and hence get more votes in the electoral college vote tally. In Alabama Trump garnered 63% of the votes resulting to 5 seats, in Alaska he took the 3 electoral votes, Arizona was hotly contested and he managed 4 out of the 11 seats they hold. Surprisingly in California where he was supposed to get most votes he only got 6 and in places like New York he didn't get any of the seats and this might be considered his home turf or business empire. So most might want to fight the bold arrogant business mogul that is now President elect of a Super power, but with the kind of top team that he had it goes to show. This is one man that was prepared to go the whole race and as brilliant as he is as a businessman, he surely sidelined a 30 year old long serving politician to take the coveted seat of President of the United States of America. Now only time will tell of what he's great accomplishments will be. But, with this begs the question can Kenya emulate any policies from this electoral process? Like initiating an electoral college, one which will assure that not only two tribes elect the next president of this great nation called Kenya. But, a system that will see many more able persons take charge of this land. Maybe then we shall put an end to all this political bickering and looting of government officials. Kenyans stand up and make the change that you want to see. It's never too late to start over, 'tunawesmake'.