ABSTRACT

American voters elect the President and Vice President of the United States under a complex arrangement of constitutional provisions, federal and state laws, and political party practices known as the electoral college system. Despite occasional close elections, this system has delivered uncontested results in 46 of 50 elections since adoption of the 12th Amendment, effective in 1804. Throughout this period, however, it has been the subject of persistent criticism and many reform proposals. In 2000, in an extremely close election, the presidential and vice presidential candidates who received a majority of electoral votes, and thus won the election, gained fewer popular votes nationwide than the electoral college runners-up. This situation, which was followed by a period of intense legal and political activity, has generated renewed interest in Congress in proposals for reform.

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