8.8 and 8.9 Chief Executive

Section 8. Issue: How Should the Chief Executive Be Elected?

Many delegates felt that ordinary citizens, such as those pictured here, were not suited to elect the president. Roger Sherman stated, “The people should have as little to do as may be about the government. They want information, and are constantly liable to be misled.”

Draw

F A GUITAR AND A HAND

Another major question facing the delegates concerned who would head the new government's executive branch. Early in the convention, Charles Pinckney urged the creation of a “vigorous executive. ” James Wilson followed with a proposal that a single person serve as the chief executive.

A sudden silence fell over the convention. The very idea of a single executive brought to mind unhappy memories of King George III. Wilson broke the silence by explaining that good government depends on clear, timely, and responsible leadership. Such leadership, he said, is most likely to be found in a single person.

One Executive or Three?

Edmund Randolph of Virginia disliked this proposal, preferring a three-member executive drawn from different parts of the country. Three people, he argued, could lead the country better than one.

Benjamin Franklin opposed a single executive for different reasons. “The first man put at the helm will be a good one,” said Franklin, thinking of George Washington. “Nobody knows what sort may come afterwards. ” The next chief executive, he cautioned, might be overly ambitious or too “fond of war. ”

In spite of these objections, the framers agreed to a single executive, to be called the president.  To keep this leader from becoming too king-like, they limited the president's term to four years, with a vice president who was also to be elected to fill that term if the president died in office.

Choosing the Chief Executive

 Equally troubling was the issue of how to choose the chief executive since some delegates wanted Congress to appoint the president. Gouverneur Morris, however, objected, arguing that the president “must not be made the flunky of the Congress. It must not be able to say to him: ‘You owe your appointment to us.'”

Several delegates thought that the people should elect the president, but Madison argued that voters would naturally vote for someone from their own state.  As a result, this method would not be fair to candidates from small states.

Still others suggested that the president be elected by a specially chosen group of “electors” from each state.  Such a group, they felt, would be able to look beyond state interests to make a wise choice for the entire country.

Multiple Choice

How does the government operate if a president dies or is removed from office?

• The vice president takes over the duties of president.

• Congress takes over the duties of the president.

• A new election is held immediately.

• The next president gets an extended term limit.

Multiple Choice

Congress appoints the president was one of the options proposed for choosing a president.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The people elect the president was one way proposed for choosing a chief executive.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A specially chosen group of electors from each state elects the president is a way proposed for choosing a president or chief executive.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which statement might a delegate Who Believed the Nation Should Have a Single Executive say?

• a single executive can give clear, timely leadership

• Three-executives can protect against one executive abusing his power.

Multiple Choice

Which statement might a delegate Who Believed the Nation Should Have a Three-Member Executive say?

• a single executive can give clear, timely leadership

• Three-executives can protect against one executive abusing his power.

Lesson 8 Section 9 Resolution: Electoral College

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Multiple Choice

Did the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decide on ONE or THREE Chief Executives?

• ONE

• THREE

Open Ended

Name one way that electing a Chief Executive/President that was proposed at the Constitutional Convenetion.

• Congress appoints the President

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• President is chosen by the people

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• A special group of electors from each state choose.

After some 60 votes on the issue of how to elect the president, the framers reached another compromise.  Neither Congress nor the people, they decided, should choose the president and vice president.   Instead, a special body called the Electoral College would elect the government's leaders.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of the Electoral College?

• Elect school board members.

• Provide opportunities for kids to attend school.

• Elect the President of the United States.

• Select a baseball team to play in the College World Series.

The Electoral College System

The Electoral College is made up of electors who cast votes to elect the president and vice president every four years. Each state has as many electors in the Electoral College as the number of senators and representatives it sends to Congress. The votes cast by electors are called electoral votes.

So if a state has 14 members of the House and 2 Senators...how many electors would the state have?

• 14 + 2=16 electoral votes.

Multiple Choice

How does the National Government determine how many electoral college votes each state gets?

• number of senators it has

• number of representatives it has

• by population

• number of representatives and senators it has

The delegates left the method of choosing electors up to each state.  Before 1820, state legislatures chose electors in most states.   Today, the people choose their state's electors when they vote in presidential elections.  The electors then cast their ballots for president and vice president on a date chosen by Congress.

Multiple Choice

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention gave the job of choosing a chief executive to

• all the citizens

• members of Congress

• electors chosen by the states

• state legislatures and governors

Originally, the electors voted for two candidates without saying which one they preferred for president or vice president. The candidate receiving the most votes became president, while the runner-up became vice president. This system caused great confusion in the election of 1800 and was later changed.

Political Parties and Elections

 The Electoral College system seems very odd to most Americans today. In our age of instant communication, it is hard to appreciate the framers' concern that voters would not know enough about candidates outside their own state to choose a president wisely.

The delegates could not have predicted how quickly communications would improve in the United States.  Nor could they foresee the rise of national political parties.  Within a few years of the convention, political parties were nominating candidates for president and educating voters in every state about those candidates.

The Electoral College system still affects presidential elections today.  In most states, the candidate who gets the most votes—even if less than a majority—wins all of that state's electoral votes.  As a result, a candidate can win a majority in the Electoral College without necessarily winning a majority of the votes cast across the country.  In the presidential election of 2016, Donald Trump won the presidency over Hillary Clinton by getting the most Electoral College votes, even though Clinton received more votes than Trump in the popular election.

Multiple Select

What 3 statements are TRUE about the Electoral College?

• The Electoral College is an actual group of people.

• Only the modern version takes state population into consideration.

• Both versions allow the people to directly elect a president.

• In the original Electoral College, the runner-up of the election would be vice president.

• The winner of today’s Electoral College does not require a majority of the nationwide votes.

Multiple Select

Which 3 statements describe how presidential elections have changed over time.

• Originally, voters knew little about candidates outside their own states. Today, instant communication has increased what we learn about candidates.

• Originally, state legislatures chose the electors in the Electoral College. Today, the people choose their state’s electors.

• Originally, the candidate receiving the most votes became president, while the runner-up became vice president. This is exactly the same way we do it now.

• Originally, the candidate receiving the most votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president. Today, the president and vice president run and are elected together.