Electoral college

From NSWiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Some NationStates countries choose their heads of state or other national officials through an electoral college, or representative body that convenes specifically to elect a national official, usually a president. Such colleges are typically utilized in federal systems to assure that the individual polities (states, provinces, etc.) within a federation are fairly represented. In some systems, like those of India or Italy in RW, most members of the electoral college hold their positions by virtue of serving in another important body, such as a national or regional legislature. Other electoral colleges, like those of the United States in RW or Omigodtheykilledkenny in NS, are effectively special conventions directly elected by the people at the end of each presidential term to appoint a new head of state.

There are certain benefits to choosing leaders through an electoral college, such as assuring that the person chosen has greater geographical support throughout the nation, rather than just the most popular votes (which can be skewed by urban voters). In theory, at least, electors are also blessed by superior political knowledge which allows them to make more informed choices. However, critics of electoral colleges contend that they inflate the importance of certain states or provinces within a nation, and that the colleges can thwart the will of the people, either by ignoring the results of a national election and instead appointing the candidate from a minority party, or because the election process itself allows minority parties to win a disproportionate number of seats in the college.

Electoral colleges in NS

  • Omigodtheykilledkenny: the president and vice president are elected every term by specially elected representatives from each state, equal to the number of Federal Assemblymen in the state's delegation, plus three. Currently there are a total of 755 electors chosen each term, meaning candidates for president and vice president need a majority of 378 votes to win.