Winner Take All

Five times in U.S. history the president chosen to lead our country was not the person chosen by the majority of its citizens. Each time that this happened there have been accusations of fraud, interference, or a system rigged against the people. At the root of the discrepancy lies the electoral college, an institution formed by the framers of the U.S. Constitution as a compromise between popular election of the President, and appointment by Congress. The electoral system is one of the least understood processes in U.S. government, yet it lies at the heart of our representative democracy.
Under the current electoral system, each state is allocated the same number of electoral votes as they have representatives in both houses of Congress. Those votes are cast by teams of electors, one team for each presidential candidate, who have pledged to vote for one specific presidential, and one specific vice-presidential candidate. In most states a single team of electors votes for their pledged candidates based on the outcome of the statewide popular vote. In other words, the winner of the statewide popular vote is awarded all of the state’s electoral votes – even if the candidate won by a single vote out of millions. The result is election outcomes that can be so distorted that they allow the losing candidates of the national vote to become president. Given the lack of understanding of the process, and intransigence to change by legislators, it’s no wonder that citizens suspect a corrupt system.
This documentary will attempt to provide its target audience of eligible voters with a better understanding of how the current electoral system came into existence; examples of simpler, alternative methods; and advice on what citizens can do at the grassroots level to make the election process more representative of their will. The ultimate goal of this film is to encourage greater citizen participation in our democracy.