Understanding the fundamentals of the U.S. presidential election system

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This book is the first to analyze the principles behind the U.S. presidential election system and competing proposals for reform. It discusses how certain election rules in the U.S. Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act can lead to skewed outcomes and election stalemates. The author argues that the Act may not address some rare situations that the Twentieth Amendment allows Congress to manage. Additionally, the book questions the constitutionality of the National Popular Vote Plan, which seeks to implement a direct popular presidential election without amending the Constitution, highlighting its potential violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Numerical examples illustrate that the claims made by proponents of the NPV—that it would encourage candidates to appeal to voters in every state—lack a solid foundation. Ultimately, the book proposes a new plan to enhance the election system by integrating the “one state, one vote” principle with the “one person, one vote” principle. This approach ensures that no state loses its current Electoral College benefits while increasing the attention presidential candidates pay to all states.