The weekly tribune., 1892-11-11
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
FRIDAY. NOVEMBER II. 1892.
HOW THE PREsIDENT Is ELECTED.

1t will be interesting at this time t.
young voters. naturalized voters, ant
those who have not yet taken the trouble
to look up the law and custom, to stud.
for moment the rules which govern
general elections in this country.
While thousands of minor officials art
to be elected on November s this year
the principal object of is.election is tt
chose president and a vice president o.
the United States. The voters do MOI
cast their ballots direct forssthe president
and vice president, but each state has
chosen electors in accordance with the
number of its senators Sand representa-
tves the number of electors being in
each case the same as the representation
of the state IN the house and senate
combined. Senators or representatives
or persons holding any office under the
government cannot serve as an elector
and these electors Aaresito be chosen on
the same lay throughout the United
States.
According to article xii. Of the consti-
tuition of the UnitedssStates the electors
are to meet and ballot for a president
and vice president, as follows. The elect
ors meet in their respective states and
name in their ballots the person voted
for as president. and in separate ballots
the person voted for as vice president.
then they must make distinct lists Of all
persons voted for as president or vice
president. and Of the number of votes
for each. which they must sign and GER
tify and transmit sealed to Washington.
directed to the president of the senate.
For the purpose of counting the elect
oral vote the senate ;and house of repre-
sertatives meet together with t. e presi-
dent Of the senate presiding, who opens
all the certificates and counts the votes
The person having the greatest number
of votes for president. if such number be
a majority of the whole number of
electors. is declared elected. and if
no person have such majority then
from the persons having the high
est number not exceeding three on the
list of those voted for as president. the
house Of representatives.. shall chose i'm
mediateiy by ballot the president The
vote is taken by states, the representa-
ton Of each state having.One vote, and a
quorum on this occasion must consist of
i member or members from twothirds
OF the states, and a maJority'of all the
states shall be necessarylto a choice.
It is very likely that this{.system will
be modified before many more president
ial contests have been carried through
in this country, and the modification
will probably result in having the presi-
dent elected by the popular vote, and
the entire doing away with the electoral
college. Many reformers and advanced
thinkers are in favor of a plan of this
kind, but there are certain impediments
in the way, besides the constitutional
provision. which may put it off for
number of years y constitutional
amendment would be necessary. and
other matters would have tosbe adjusted
to conform thereto Under the present
plan the popular vote may be much
larger for the man who is.not elected
than for the one who is declared elected
by the electoral college. Such Was the
case in lSSS. when Mr. Cleveland's plu
rality of the popular vote amounted to
o50l1 over Mr. Harrison. though the lat
ter was declared elected. because he Sc
cured 133 electoral votes to Mr.. Cleve-
lands lGa. The election of the presi-
dent by the popular vote will appear at
first sight to be great improvement
over the present method. but it may be
some time before the obstacles to this
arrangement can be removed.