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Articles on Electoral College

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Aides prepare Alabama’s Electoral College votes for certification during a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Michigan AG charges 16 people in fake electors scheme: 4 essential reads on how the Electoral College works

Michigan’s attorney general has charged 16 people in a fake electors plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Here’s how the Electoral College works.
Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., center, and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, right, take cover as protesters disrupt the joint session of Congress to certify the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Congress passes legislation that will close off presidential election mischief and help avoid another Jan. 6

Weaknesses in the law governing how elections are run and votes counted in Congress led to the Jan. 6 insurrection. An election law scholar analyzes legislation just passed to fix those problems.
An Indiana Senate committee hearing on a GOP proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, July 26, 2022. AP Photo/Michael Conroy

4 reasons why abortion laws often clash with the majority’s preferences in the US, from constitutional design to low voter turnout

Why do government policies sometimes fail to reflect the public will? The answer begins with the design of the US government system, forged in the 18th century.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is seen presiding over the counting of the votes on Jan. 6, 2021, during a hearing of the House January 6 committee in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Jan. 6 hearings highlight problems with certification of presidential elections and potential ways to fix them

The attempt by Donald Trump’s supporters to reverse the 2020 presidential election results shows the need to update the nation’s landmark law for counting presidential votes.
Vice President Mike Pence reads the final electoral vote counts declaring Joe Biden the next U.S. president during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2021. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The Electoral Count Act of 1887 is showing its age – here’s how to help Congress certify a presidential election with more certainty

Concerned about problems in counting Electoral College votes that determine the next president, lawmakers are considering changes to the Electoral Count Act. What is the act, and what’s wrong with it?
Vice President Mike Pence says he ‘welcomes’ objections to Biden’s Electoral College win, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats reject any such effort. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Why Trump’s Senate supporters can’t overturn Electoral College results they don’t like – here’s how the law actually works

The 1887 Electoral Count Act spells out the process for Congress to convene and review election results on Jan. 6, and it requires both the House and Senate to uphold any challenges to Biden’s win.
Until this year, people who wanted to live here had to win not just more votes than their opponents, but more state legislative districts too. Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Mississippi just got rid of its Electoral College-like election process

Since 1890, Mississippi has required candidates for statewide office to win not only more votes than opponents across the whole state, but also in every legislative district.

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