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Week ahead: Electoral College votes, Moderna vaccine reviewed

What’s the deal with the Electoral College? If we’re gonna talk about college, I might as well dress the part all right. Time to get ready for a lesson in math history and a little bit of geography. Now the Electoral College is not a real college. It’s the group of people who actually picked the president. When you head to the polls on Election Day, you’re technically not voting for a candidate, rather for your state’s electors. Now, to understand this, you need to know a little bit of math. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors, usually political insiders nominated by a states, Democratic and Republican parties. There are the same number of electors as there are members of Congress. 435 for the House of Representatives. Ah 100 for the Senate in D. C. Gets three. Ah, presidential candidate needs 270 votes to win the White House. Now that brings us to the history lesson. The system was created when the founders were trying to figure out how we would pick the president. Some wanted Congress to do it, but that might give lawmakers too much power. Others wanted a pure popular vote. But there wasn’t a ton of faith in the knowledge or the judgment of regular folks at the time. So they’re compromise was the Electoral College, and that’s now enshrined in the Constitution. And this is where geography comes in. The Electoral College was our founders balanced the voting power between the North and the South. At the time, you had to be at least a 21 year old landowning white guy to vote. But representation in Congress and the Electoral College was based on states population, while the South had a lot of people. Ah, lot of them were enslaved. Black folks crudely deemed his property so the North would always hold an advantage. Incomes the 3/5 compromise. Those black people would be counted as 3/5 of a person, boosting population numbers for Southern states. Now that was repealed back in 18 68 but the Electoral College stuck around without it. Some say candidates could just focus on cities with a lot of people and a lot of votes, and literally fly over rural America when it comes to campaigning and building policies. Now, on the flip side, Some say that because of the Electoral College, candidates put too much focus on wooing just a handful of Sway hable swing states. And they argue it doesn’t respect the vote of every American. In fact, five times in history, the winner of the popular vote did not win the White House. Hey, not yet get some extra credit to finish first. Election Day falls on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, but the final test for presidential hopeful isn’t until the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. That’s when each state’s electors get to meet and vote for The president didn’t make the calendars kind of weird, and that’s the deal with the Electoral College. Alright, Class dismissed.

Week ahead: Electoral College votes, Moderna vaccine reviewed

This week will be dominated by two stories coming Monday and Thursday.Here’s what to know.Electoral College votesElectors will meet Monday to formally vote for the next president. When all the votes are counted Monday, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to have 306 electoral votes — more than the 270 needed to elect a president — to 232 votes for President Donald Trump.The Electoral College consists of each state’s electors and the electors for the District of Columbia. Most states have laws binding their electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state, measures that were upheld by a Supreme Court decision this year.Moderna vaccine reviewedThe FDA will begin a public meeting on Thursday to decide whether to grant emergency use authorization for another COVID-19 vaccine.On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, a day after scientific advisers debated whether there’s enough evidence to support the move. Moderna’s turn at this “science court” is coming exactly a week later.Multiple vaccine candidates must succeed for the world to stamp out the pandemic, which has been on the upswing in the U.S. and Europe.The Associated Press contributed.

This week will be dominated by two stories coming Monday and Thursday.

Here’s what to know.

Electoral College votes

Electors will meet Monday to formally vote for the next president.

When all the votes are counted Monday, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to have 306 electoral votes — more than the 270 needed to elect a president — to 232 votes for President Donald Trump.

The Electoral College consists of each state’s electors and the electors for the District of Columbia. Most states have laws binding their electors to the winner of the popular vote in their state, measures that were upheld by a Supreme Court decision this year.

Moderna vaccine reviewed

The FDA will begin a public meeting on Thursday to decide whether to grant emergency use authorization for another COVID-19 vaccine.

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, a day after scientific advisers debated whether there’s enough evidence to support the move. Moderna’s turn at this “science court” is coming exactly a week later.

Multiple vaccine candidates must succeed for the world to stamp out the pandemic, which has been on the upswing in the U.S. and Europe.

The Associated Press contributed.