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The idea of an electoral college reintroduced
by Kat Howarth (KatHowarth)
Cite as: Kat Howarth, ‘The idea of an electoral college reintroduced’ in N. P. Cole, Grace Mallon and Kat Howarth, The Creation of the Electoral College, Quill Project at Pembroke College (Oxford, 2016), item 77.
The Creation of the Electoral College
(To read a specific commentary item, please click on its link.)
- The choice of the president in the national legislature
- Election by the people and the merits of election by Congress
- The 'chimerical' nature of election by the people
- The first idea of an electoral college
- A role for state legislatures
- Independence via ineligibility
- An accountable executive
- Concerns of the Committee of the Whole
- An equal voice for all states?
- A democratic magistrate
- The merits of popular election debated
- The problem of forbidding re-election
- A President for life?
- A summary of the difficulties presented by the creation of the executive
- The electoral college proposed for a second time
- The electoral college agreed to
- Election by National Legislature reinstated
- An element of chance
- Alternative modes of election
- The President to be chosen by the State Governors
- Madison's comment on various modes of election
- Committee of detail report
- The idea of an electoral college reintroduced
- The electoral college as a tool for the Separation of Powers
- Limitations of the Electoral College
- Ineligibility and the Electoral College
- Qualifications for Electors
- A role for the House of Representatives instead
- The final iteration of the electoral college
Commentary
The report of the Grand Committee on Postponed Questions reintroduced the idea of an electoral college and removed reference to executive election via the national legislature. It is notable that September 4th is a late date for it to resurface, especially as motions on the topic had been negatived three times in quick succession, without debate, in the latter part of August.
However, it should be noted that both Daniel Carroll and Gouverneur Morris were members of this Committee; they were proponents of the electoral college and were responsible for the motions that had been negatived in August, so it appears that they had succeeded where James Wilson in the Committee of Detail had not.
This is also when the election of the Vice President during the same process was introduced, allowing for the election of both to stem from the votes of the electoral college.
Associated event
Approved for publication
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