Denver labor bulletin., 1916-11-18
The Electoral College
and the Popular Vote
In Answer to Subscriber, With Some
Added Historical Comment

Alexander Hamilton was responsible
for the electoral college being made a
plan for selecting presidents of the Unit
ed States. He drafted this feature of
the federal constitution for the reason
that, as he said, the people could not
be trusted to select the right man for
the office by direct vote. As matter
of fact the first three presidents, Wash
ington, Adams and Jefferson were not
nominated formally and We're chosen by
the electoral college.
While President Wilson has Just been
reelected by the largest popular vote
ever given a candidate for president, his
margin in the electoral college is small,
due to Hughes carrying states having
large representation in congress, there
being one presidential elector for each
congressman and senator. Wilson's popu-
lar majority over Hughes will approxi-
mate 100000
a close popular vote in presidential
election is by no means unusual and is
not inconsistent with a decided majority
in the electoral college. Thus, going
back as far as 1928, we find the popular
vote for Jackson was G41 ,23l and for
Adams was 509,0a7. And vet Jackson
had lis electoral votes and Adams only
SO. In 1892 Jackson had popular vote
OF 6S7 SOP and Clay a vote of $50, $50,
while in the electoral college 2l9 votes
We're cast for jackson and only 40 for
Clay. 1t is true eleven electoral votes
went to Floyd and seven to Writ, but
the entire opposition totaled only 67
votes. The same comparative closeness
in the popular vote and the same dis
crepancy in the electoral vote character
lied the presidential elections OF 1885,
lS4O, 1874, lS4S and 1852. The results in
those cases We're influenced to some eX
tent by the fact that there We're more
than two presidential candidates in the
field. In 1856 Buchanan received pop
ular vote of ,s3S .l69; Fremont, bal,
1854. and Fillmore, S74,53S The vote OF
Fremont and Fillmore was 2.2l5,SO2, or
37T .633 greater than that OF the Demo-
cratic candidate, vet Buchanan received
ia electoral votes. while Fremont and
Fillmore together got only 1922 Lincoln
was also a minority president in 1860,
receiving l,S66,352 popular votes to l.
375l57 for Douglas. S45.763 for Breck
inridge and 5s9,5sl for Bell. Lincoln re-
ceived $50 electoral votes, Douglas only
-, Breckenridge 70. and Bell 80, the
total of the last three reaching only l23.
Omitting 1876. which everybody re-
calls, we find that in 1880 while Gar
field had a popular plurality over Han
cock of only 7,Ols, he had an electoral
vote OF 2l4 to Hancock's l55. Cleveland,
in 1884, had popular plurality of but
626S3 over Blaine, yet he got 2l9 cleo
toral votes to 1872 for Blaine. In 1888
Cleveland had 9s,017 popular plurality,
but Harrison received % electoral votes
to his l6s. In 1892 his plurality over
Harrison was 3S0,Sl0, and his electoral
vote was 277 to l45 for his opponent.
In 1896, 1900, 1904 and 1908 the popular
pluralities OF the winners We're far larg-
er, and in 1912, owing to the split in
the Republican party, the candidate re-
ceiving the minority of the popular vote
secured 435 of the electoral votes, Mr..
Taft getting eight and Mr.. Roosevelt
for Taft and of 4,ll9, ,5O7 for Roosevelt
son vote by l,3ll ,444.
1t appears, on a general review of our
political history. that close popular
vote in presidential elections may almost
be called the rule rather than the eX-
ception. 1t is clear, too, that the cleo
toral vote does not always express pop
ular sympathy and popular sentiment.
Whether for this reason we should abol-
ish the electoral college and decide pres
idential elections by direct popular vote
is too important a question to be de-
termined without very careful consid-
erations which will undoubtedly occupy
public thought before long and in view
of the possible complications and uncer-
tainties OF the present system the sug-
gested change will not be lightly dis
missed.