Electoral College
Fellow of The Institute for Mathematics and Democracy
Wellesley College Department of Mathematics
Arial Brookhart
December 5th, 2024
Redesigning Our Democracy:
A Quantitative Approach
HISTORY
Concern about asking people with very little political experience to select someone
Smaller states had concerns about being "overrun" by more populous states
"Three-fifths compromise" allowed Southern states to count three-fifths of their enslaved populations in their total census
The electoral college was a solution to unite states under a federal system - an attempt to mediate between state and federal power.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each state has a certain number of members of the Electoral College.
These members vote for a candidate who received the plurality of votes in their state,
So it is not the people who elect the president, it is the Electoral College.
DISPROPORTIONATE POWER
This map shows each state re-sized in proportion to the relative influence of the individual voters who live there.
GEOGRAPHY - 2020 ELECTION
IMAGINE…
IMAGINE…
IMAGINE…
IMAGINE…
Electoral College gives those voters disproportionate power.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO WIN IN TERMS OF VOTE NUMBERS AND HAVE A MINORITY OF ELECTORS?
This has happened five times, including twice in the 21st century (9%!)
Problem is the winner-take-all system in most states.
Just how few votes would a candidate need to win 270 electoral votes?
Assumptions:
A candidate only needs to win the 11 states with the most electoral votes to hit 270.
Large states:27%
Small States: 23.1%
ALTERNATIVES
Abolish – use the popular vote.
National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
Apportion electoral votes according to percentages of popular votes.
Assign electoral votes at the level of districts.
QUESTIONS
The Electoral College Turns Modest Wins Into Landslides
Since the founding of the Electoral College, there have been 156 faithless electors.
Thirty-three states have laws requiring electors to follow the popular vote
2000 Democratic elector Barbara Lett-Simmons abstained from voting rather than casting her vote for Al Gore.
IS AN ELECTOR OBLIGED TO RESPECT THE VOTE OF THEIR STATE?
ONE PERSON, VOTE
Smaller states appear to have an advantage in the Electoral College.
Add electoral votes so that each represents the same population.
ABOUT THE CANDIDACY
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System—it’s only a bit larger than the Moon. The planet’s name has nothing to do with the liquid metal
OUR GOALS
TRUST
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place. It’s full of iron oxide dust
DIALOGUE
It’s a gas giant, composed mostly of hydrogen and helium
FAIR ELECTION
Jupiter is a gas giant and the biggest planet in the Solar System
WHAT SETS US APART?
REPUBLICANS
It’s the closest planet to the Sun and also the smallest one in the Solar System
DEMOCRATS
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place. The planet is full of iron oxide dust
WHAT SETS US APART?
REPUBLICANS
It’s the closest planet to the Sun and also the smallest one in the Solar System
DEMOCRATS
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place. The planet is full of iron oxide dust
AWESOME WORDS
CORE VALUES
MARS
Mars is a very cold place
NEPTUNE
Neptune is the farthest planet
JUPITER
Jupiter is the biggest planet
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one
MERCURY
Mercury is the smallest planet
VENUS
Venus has a beautiful name
PARTIES
01
You can enter a subtitle here if you need it
A PICTURE ALWAYS REINFORCES THE CONCEPT
Images reveal large amounts of data, so remember: use an image instead of long texts
A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
VOTERS
MARS
Mars is a very cold place
JUPITER
Jupiter is the biggest planet
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one
VENUS
Venus has a beautiful name
To modify this graph, click on it, follow the link, change the data and paste the new graph here
VOTER PROFILE
GENDER
AGE
25-35
36-45
46-65
60%
85%
INTERESTS
—SOMEONE FAMOUS
“This is a quote, words full of wisdom that someone important said and can make the reader get inspired.”
VOTE ANALYSIS
02
You can enter a subtitle here if you need it
REVIEWING CONCEPTS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
MERCURY
Saturn is the ringed one and a gas giant
It’s the biggest planet in the Solar System
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun
Venus has a beautiful name, but it’s terribly hot
VENUS
Despite being red, Mars is actually a cold place
MARS
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun
JUPITER
SATURN
NEPTUNE
SURVEYS
VENUS
It has a beautiful name, but it’s terribly hot
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one and a gas giant
MERCURY
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun
JUPITER
It’s the biggest planet in the Solar System
GOALS & STRATEGY
03
You could enter a subtitle here if you need it
CAMPAIGN GOALS
03
You can enter a subtitle here if you need it
INFOGRAPHICS MAKE YOUR IDEA UNDERSTANDABLE…
NEPTUNE
The reason why it is blue is the presence of gas methane
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one. It’s composed of hydrogen and helium
55%
45%
IMPORTANT STATES
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one
MERCURY
Mercury is the smallest planet
VENUS
Venus has a beautiful name
MARS
Mars is a very cold place
USE A GRAPH TO SHOW YOUR DATA
To modify this graph, click on it, follow the link, change the data and paste the new graph here
Mars is a cold place
Democrats
Saturn is the ringed planet
Republicans
THIS IS A MAP
Democrats
Republicans
A TIMELINE ALWAYS WORKS WELL
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place
It’s the biggest planet in the Solar System
Yes, this is the ringed one. It’s a gas giant
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun
TIMELINE
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one
MERCURY
Mercury is the smallest planet
VENUS
Venus has a beautiful name
MARS
Mars is a very cold place
1
2
3
4
AWESOME WORDS
Because key words are great for catching your audience’s attention
01
04
02
05
03
06
GOALS
Saturn is a gas giant, composed mostly of hydrogen and helium
Venus has a beautiful name and is the second planet from the Sun
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place, full of iron oxide dust
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one
Jupiter is a gas giant and the biggest planet in the Solar System
BUDGET
04
You can enter a subtitle here if you need it
STRATEGY
STEP 2
Saturn is the ringed one
STEP 1
Mercury is the smallest planet
STEP 3
Venus has a beautiful name
STEP 4
Mars is a very cold place
ELECTION DESCRIPTION
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
$23,667
$98,567
FUNDING
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun
Venus has a beautiful name, but it’s hot
MARKETING CHANNELS
AGENCY
Voters
Voters
Voters
Media
Media
Media company
PROMOTION
MERCURY
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun
VENUS
Venus has a beautiful name, but it’s terribly hot
MARS
Despite being red, Mars is a cold place
JUPITER
It’s the biggest planet in the Solar System
SATURN
Saturn is the ringed one and a gas giant
NEPTUNE
Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
BUDGET ALLOCATION
VENUS | MERCURY | JUPITER | SATURN |
$2,000 | $3,100 | $400 | $1,300 |
$3,400 | $600 | $200 | $100 |
$4,000 | $1,600 | $800 | $500 |
$45,000,000
Is the total budget for the campaign
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN 1
CHANNEL
Multimedia
BUDGET
$ 25,000,000
GOALS
DESCRIPTION
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN 2
CHANNEL
Press
DESCRIPTION
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System
GOALS
BUDGET
$ 1,000,000
PR OUTREACH
MEDIA CHANNELS
GOALS
KEY MESSAGES
Multimedia
Press
Radio
It’s the ringed one
Mars is a cold place
It’s the biggest
50%
40%
10%
PREDICTED REACH
20,000
Retweets
100,000
Mentions & interactions
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MULTIMEDIA
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System—it’s only a bit larger than the Moon
Insert your multimedia content here
OUR TEAM
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one in the Solar System—it’s only a bit larger than the Moon
THANKS!
Do you have any questions?
youremail@freepik.com +91 620 421 838 yourcompany.com
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THANKS!
Do you have any questions?
Please keep this slide for attribution
This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, infographics & images by Freepik and illustrations by Stories
ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES
RESOURCES
VECTOR