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4 - Contingent Elections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2023

George C. Edwards III
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
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Summary

The electoral college’s provisions for contingent elections of the president and vice president blatantly violate political equality, directly disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Americans, have the potential to grossly misrepresent the wishes of the public, make the president dependent upon Congress, give a very few individuals extraordinary power to select the president, have the potential to select a president and vice president from different parties, and fail to deal with a tie for third in the electoral college. In addition, any resolution of a congressional choice of the president is likely to be tainted with charges of unsavory transactions. It is no wonder that even the most stalwart defenders of the electoral college choose to ignore contingent elections in their justifications of the system of electing the president.

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Chapter
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

Suggested Readings

Ferling, John, Adams v. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).Google Scholar
Gorman, Joseph B., Election of the President by the House of Representatives and the Vice President by the Senate: Relationship of the Popular Vote for Electors to Subsequent Voting in the House of Representatives in 1801 and 1825 and in the Senate in 1837 (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, November 20, 1980).Google Scholar
Larson, Edward J., A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, American’s First Presidential Campaign (New York: Free Press, 2007).Google Scholar
Ratcliffe, Donald, The One-Party Presidential Contest: Adams, Jackson, and 1824’s Five-Horse Race (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2021).Google Scholar
Sharp, James Roger, The Deadlocked Election of 1800: Jefferson, Burr, and the Union in the Balance (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2010).Google Scholar

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  • Contingent Elections
  • George C. Edwards III, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America
  • Online publication: 09 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009426275.005
Available formats
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  • Contingent Elections
  • George C. Edwards III, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America
  • Online publication: 09 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009426275.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Contingent Elections
  • George C. Edwards III, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America
  • Online publication: 09 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009426275.005
Available formats
×