By Kira Sandys
After a tight presidential race, the Electoral College casted their official votes on December 14, 2020. But how does the electoral college work?
First, let’s take a look at the history behind it all! According to Clark High School government teacher Cristina Johnson, the Electoral College was a compromise made at the Philidelphia Convention or the Constitutional Convention.
“However, this would quickly be dismissed because it would create too much of an opportunity for corruption between the legislative and executive branches,” Johnson said. “Another group of delegates thought it would be best to let the people elect the president by popular vote. Problem is, back then, voters did not have the resources to be informed about the candidates.”
And thus the Electoral College was born! People who the state Legislatures chose, made the selection of who would become President and Vice President. However, changes have been made since the original electoral college, from 1787.
“The 12th Amendment—ratified in 1804—changed the original process, allowing for separate ballots for determining the President and Vice President.”
So, here’s how it works. Each state has a number of electors, equal to the number of representatives in the House and Senate. When the popular votes are cast, they actually determine who these electors vote for.
“Most states require that all electoral votes go to the candidate who receives the plurality in that state,” Johnson said. “After state election officials certify the popular vote of each state, the winning slate of electors meet in the state capital and cast two ballots—one for Vice President and one for President. Electors cannot vote for a Presidential and Vice presidential candidate who both hail from an elector’s home state.”
One of the most important aspects of this presidential election is each candidate’s environmental policy. As our planet ages, the rate of pollution has yet to slow down, so what are President Donald Trump and President-Elect Joe Biden’s plans concerning the environment?
Biden’s plan regarding the environment includes a “Clean Energy Revolution,” to address the current climate emergency. As President, Biden plans to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and have net-zero emissions by 2050. He plans to immediately sign a series of orders to put us on track to reaching this goal. Biden also plans to invest in smart infrastructure, to ensure buildings, water, transportation, and energy infrastructure can withstand climate change. Another plan he has is to recommit the U.S. to the Paris agreement on climate change and encourage other countries to take action. Finally, Biden plans to take action against companies that profit off of harming the environment, ensure clean water is available for everyone in America, and to support our workers and community. (according to Joebiden.com/Climate-Plan/)
President Trump has taken action regarding the climate emergency. Some ways he has expanded American energy is by keeping his promise to remove America from the Paris climate agreement plan, repeal the Clean Energy Plan which is projected to raise the price of power by billions, approve Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, and open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to domestic energy production. Trump has taken many more actions as well. He has signed an order to expand offshore oil and gas drilling as well as open more leases to develop this. Another action he has taken is increasing exports of energy resources to the global market allowing financing for coal and fossil energy projects and increasing American LNG export opportunities.
Trump has also taken steps to improve infrastructure and provide resources to expand oil and gas production in the United States. Along with this, he has proposed a Clean Energy Rule to reduce greenhouse gasses, promote energy independence, and facilitate economic growth. Finally, he has revoked President Obama’s methane emissions rule that would cost American Energy developers $530 million annually. (according to DonaldJTrump.com).