Federalist 68 Paraphrased
Federalist No. 68 - How the President is Elected: The Electoral College paraphrased into modern English
by Alexander Hamilton, March 1788
To: the People of the State of New York:
The way the top civil officer of the United States is appointed is just about the only significant part of the proposed Constitution that hasn't been severely criticized or had negative comments from those opposed to the Constitution. The most reasonable critic in print even admitted that the way the President is elected seems fairly prudent. I will go even further and say that the way the President is elected is excellent, if not perfect. It combines all of the best advantages into as effective a plan as anyone could wish for.
The writers of the Constitution wanted the people to have a say in choosing the man who would have such an important position of trust. This was done by giving the job of making the selection, not to an already existing group of people, but to people who would be chosen by the people only for that specific purpose and at the time of that specific event.
The writers also wanted those people making the selection to be capable of analyzing the qualities needed for the position, and enabled with time and space to think carefully about their options in order to thoughtfully consider all of the reasons and motives needed to make their choice. A small number of people selected from the total population by their fellow citizens seems to be the most likely to have the information and discernment required to properly analyze such a complicated decision.
The writers also wanted to avoid any possible unrest and civil disorder, and they dreaded the opportunity for that kind of evil when such an important position as The President was up for election. The precautions that were planned so brilliantly in the proposed Constitution should provide an effective security against that kind of thing. Having several people in a body of electors will be much less likely to incite the people to violence than if just one person were to make the final choice. These Electors will be chosen in each State, and they will meet and cast their votes in that State. Thus, multiple groups of men will be spread across the nation in isolated groups while deciding. That will make their final collective decision less likely to draw the anger and resentment that might result if they all met at the same time and place.
The writers especially wanted to thwart every conceivable opportunity for conspiracy, fraud, and corruption. One would have expected the opponents of republican government to voice criticism at various aspects of the Constitution, but to focus most of their concern on the desire of foreign nations to seek some influence in our political councils. What better means would they have than to raise up their own candidate to the position of President of the Union? But the men who wrote the Constitution at the convention guarded against any danger of that kind with the most careful and thorough attention. They have arranged it so that the appointment of the President doesn't depend on any currently existing group of men who can be manipulated or bribed beforehand to falsify their vote. Their plan puts it, first, to a direct vote of the citizens, who elect specific people for the temporary and explicit purpose of electing the President. And they have detailed it so that no one who might be too loyal to the current President is eligible for this trusted position [of being an Elector]. No senator, representative, or anyone in a position of responsibility to the government or employed by the government is allowed to be an Elector. So, without corrupting the general population, those who directly elect the President will at least start out being completely unbiased and not beholden to anyone. Their temporary status and their independent situation, which we already mentioned, make it likely that they would continue their task without bias. To corrupt such a large group of people would take time as well as some technique. And it would be difficult for them to form their own groups based on motives since they'd be spread out over the thirteen States. Forming groups amongst themselves might not be considered genuine corruption, but it could end up being a way to mislead them from their primary responsibility.
Another necessity, just as important, was to make sure the President doesn't owe his continuation in office to anyone but the people. Without that, he might be tempted to neglect his duty to the people and instead work to please those whose favor will get him re-elected. But this way, his re-election depends on a special group of people whose only purpose is select the next President.
The proposed Constitution combines all of these thoughtful advantages into a plan where each State selects a number of electors to match the number of their State's senators and representatives. These electors will meet within their own State and vote for a qualified person to be President. Then their voting results will be sent to the capitol of the United States, and whoever has a majority of elector votes will be the next President. But sometimes no single candidate will receive a majority of votes [half plus one], and it might not be safe to consider less than a majority as conclusive, so the Constitution says that, in those cases, the House of Representatives will decide who is most qualified of the five candidates with the most votes.
This process makes it respectably certain that no man will ever become President unless he is excellently prepared with the required qualifications. Being skilled at dishonorable manipulation and flattering popularity might be enough to win a man the highest office [governor] in his own State, but it will take a different skill set and nobler merit to make the entire Union, or at least a majority of the Union, respect and trust him enough to elect him President. I am confident that we are likely to see the presidency filled by men who are well-known for their capability and virtue. Those who understand how important the role of the executive is in every government's ability to manage well or badly will agree that this is a good reason to ratify the proposed Constitution. Although we don't totally agree with the political heresy of the poet [Alexander Pope] who wrote,
"For forms of government, let fools contest--
That which is best administered is best,"
-- yet we do agree that the test of a good government is how effectively it's able to produce a good administration.
The Vice-President will be chosen in the same way as the President, except that the Senate will do what the House of Representatives does for the selection of the President [they will sometimes decide who is most qualified of the five candidates with the most votes].
Appointing such an unusual official position as a Vice-President has been criticized as excessive, or even harmful. Some people think it would have been better to let the Senate elect a Senator from amongst themselves to fill that office [since the Vice-President is considered President of the Senate]. But the Constitution's method is a good plan for two reasons. First, the Senate needs to have a definite result when they vote, so the President of the Senate only votes when there's a tie. If a regular voting Senator was to fill that role, and only allowed to vote when there was a tie, it would be unfair to the State he represents, since that State would be deprived of one of their two voting Senators [since he wouldn't be voting unless there was a tie]. And, second, the Vice-President may sometimes have to fill in for the President of the United States, so selecting the Vice-President should be done with as much care and deliberation as selecting the President. It's surprising that in this issue, as in most other issues, the objection to specially electing a Vice-President reflects negatively on the State Constitution of New York. After all, New York has a Lieutenant-Governor [functioning in the same way as a Vice-President, but on a State level] who is elected by the people. The Lieutenant-Governor presides in the State Senate [just like the Vice-President presides in the federal Senate], and fills in for the Governor in the same kinds of cases where a Vice-President would take on constitutional authority to fill in for the President.
Signed, "Publius Valerius Publicola."
Paraphrased by Leslie Noelani Laurio, July 2020
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