“One Difficulty…of a Serious Nature”
The Overlooked Racial Dynamics of the Electoral College
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17823409 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William D Blake (0000-0002-0538-6104, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 315-343 |
| Publication date | 2019-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Forum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2194-6183 • E-ISSN: 1540-8884 |
| Publisher | De Gruyter (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/for-2019-0019 |
| OpenAlex | W2973232913 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 36 |
This paper explores the racial origins and legacy of the Electoral College through historical and quantitative analyses. At the Constitutional Convention, the Electoral College served the interests of Southern slaveowners by perpetuating the advantage of the Three-Fifths Compromise. Following Reconstruction, Southern states that disenfranchised African Americans received an even larger voice in the Electoral College. Republicans tried to counter these moves by admitting unusually small states into the union. The ironic consequence of this non-racial decision is that, today, these states are heavily White and have citizens with higher levels of racial resentment. A MM-regression analysis of every election from 2000 on indicates the Electoral College has consistently awarded more votes per capita to states with Whiter populations and more racially conservative attitudes. The racially-disparate power exerted by these states makes it more difficult to enact racially-egalitarian policies. This paper adds a new perspective to the normative debate over the Electoral College, which typically focuses on democratic fairness and federalism concerns
Compromise · Democracy · Federalism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Resentment · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Public Administration · Race, History, and American Society
The Two Reconstructions
Congressional Influence and Patterns of New Deal Spending, 1933-1939
The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787
Shifting the Color Line
The Politics of Resentment
Stacking the Senate, Changing the Nation
Between Reconstructions
The Race to 270
Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America
The Louisiana Purchase and South Carolina's Reopening of the Slave Trade in 1803
The Five-Fifths Rule and the Unconstitutional Presidential Election of 1916
What Role Does the "Federalism Bonus" Play in Presidential Selection
Thinking About the Political Impacts of the Electoral College
Paths to victory in presidential elections
Pivotal states in the Electoral College, 1880 to 2004
Voting on slavery at the Constitutional Convention
Why noncompetitive states are so important for understanding the outcomes of competitive elections
Republican Reconstruction and Section Two of the Fourteenth Amendment
The Electoral College at Philadelphia
The Federal Elections Bill of 1890
The Price of Admission
The Power of the States in U.S. Presidential Elections
Partisan Bias in the Electoral College
Estimating Partisan Bias of the Electoral College Under Proposed Changes in Elector Apportionment
The Founding Fathers
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |