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.
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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?
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic in Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 14, 2021.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The debate about the U.S. Electoral College pits those who think the president should be chosen via popular vote versus those who believe the interests of small and large states must be balanced.
Statue of George Washington in front of Federal Hall in New York City.
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The process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes usually generates very little attention. Not so this year, with rebel Republicans planning to challenge the votes in several states.
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.
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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
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.
Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt signs an official tally of the Electoral College votes from the 2016 presidential election, in January 2017.
AP Photo/Zach Gibson
Five scholars explain different aspects of the history, workings and effects of the Electoral College.
Florida voters, like these on Nov. 3, have less influence over the Electoral College than their fellow voters in any other state.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
The transition between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has formally begun, yet the outgoing president still refuses to concede. How far can he go and has such a situation been experienced in American history?
Michigan Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, left, and Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield are among those expected to visit the White House.
AP Photo/David Eggert
Wisconsin proved to be the ‘tipping point’ state in the US presidential election, which Joe Biden won by just 0.6% - despite being likely to win the popular vote by 4-5%.
Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
As Donald Trump continued to stoke his base with false allegations of a ‘rigged’ election, violence at the U.S. Capitol shows America has devolved into a fragile state.
Where were the best electoral maps to be found during the 2020 U.S. presidential election?
(Clay Banks/Unsplash)
Judges are generally reluctant to decide elections, as the Supreme Court controversially did in 2000. As a result, Trump’s flurry of litigation could wind up throwing the election to the House.
A transcript from the Constitutional Convention records the official report creating the Electoral College.
U.S. National Archives
Three approaches were debated during the Constitutional Convention – election by Congress, selection by state legislatures and a popular election, though that was restricted to white landowning men.
Watching the election results in Times Square.
Justin Lane/EPA
The polls and pundits say Joe Biden will win, but they’ve been wrong before. So what will be the early indicators of whether Donald Trump stays or goes?
CHARLESTON, SC - OCTOBER 30: Jake Hannay casts his in-person absentee ballot at Seacoast Church West Ashley on October 30, 2020 in Charleston, South Carolina.
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The majority voting system in the United States, as in virtually every country in the world, imperfectly reflects voter preferences and could once again benefit Donald Trump.
What will judges do? And when will they do it?
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Federal election law is riddled with uncertainties. And that’s not a good situation for the country if it finds itself in the middle of a contested election.
What happens when an election is contested?
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The presidential election outcome seems to be at least partially in dispute. Six scholars provide a history of contested elections in the US and explain what happens when the results are challenged.
J.F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education; Director, Ackerman Center; Associate Director, Purdue Center for Economic Education, Purdue University