Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System

by James A. Michener, Steve Berry (Introduction)

In this eye-opening nonfiction account, world-renowned author James A. Michener details the reckless gamble U.S. voters make every four trusting the electoral college. In 1968, Michener served as a presidential elector in Pennsylvania. What he witnessed that fall disturbed him so much that he felt compelled to expose the very real potential in this system for a grave injustice with history-altering consequences. Incorporating the wide-ranging insight and universal compassion of Michener’s bestselling novels, Presidential Lottery is essential reading for every American concerned about the ever-growing rift between the people and the political process.
 
Praise for Presidential Lottery
 
“Clear, concise, and sensible . . . a thoughtful book on how Americans choose their President.” — The New York Times
 
“An urgent appeal.” — Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 1969

About the author

James Albert Michener is best known for his sweeping multi-generation historical fiction sagas, usually focusing on and titled after a particular geographical region. His first novel, Tales of the South Pacific , which inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Toward the end of his life, he created the Journey Prize, awarded annually for the year's best short story published by an emerging Canadian writer; founded an MFA program now, named the Michener Center for Writers, at the University of Texas at Austin; and made substantial contributions to the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, best known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings and a room containing Michener's own typewriter, books, and various memorabilia.

Michener's entry in Who's Who in America says he was born on Feb. 3, 1907. But he said in his 1992 memoirs that the circumstances of his birth remained cloudy and he did not know just when he was born or who his parents were.

Reviews

[Jim Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Michener wrote this book in 1969, and it was just republished in 2014. He writes of his experiences as Chief Elector of the Pennsylvania Electoral College in 1968, the year that Wallace was running as an Independent against Humphrey and Nixon. He realized that if Wallace garnered enough votes, he could use the College to give the Presidency to the party who came in second, and thus wield enormous power in the new government.

As it turned out, Wallace never got enough votes to be temped to do this, but it made Michener realized that the method of electing a President through the Electoral College was antiquated and opened the door for election fraud.

The system had been created before the formation of political parties, and their existence had not been foreseen. The college electors for each state were chosen by different methods in each state, mostly by the political parties of each state, and the jobs were given to party loyalists who had made big donations or worked hard on behalf of the party. In some states, the electors were not even obligated to vote as their state had voted in the popular election, and in the states where they were obligated, there were few if any penalties if the electors voted their own way!

He details the problems that could have occurred in several elections over the years, and how the problems were avoided, which was more by luck than anything else. He urges elimination of the College, and elimination of the tossing of the Presidential election in the House of Representatives if the College becomes deadlocked. He provides serval plans to accomplish this.

He also predicts that Congress will not act to make changes until a disaster occurs, and so far history has proven him correct, as nothing has changed in the College since his essay was written.

Until that happens, the People do not actually elect a President. The President is elected by a small group of unknown individuals, who possess the power to elect whom they wish, if they chose to exercise it.

[Boyd McCamish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michener's 1968 warning clarion sounds quaintly naive today. It is a detailed and powerful analysis that leaves a soft trail of bias so inherent in the American system, remember the 'tyranny of the majority.'
This Cold War account of the 1968 election is chilling. They worried about Wallace then, if only we had those sorts of simple problems now.
Required reading today as Hillary's vote count exceeds 2 million and America is faced with disaster.

[John Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because we are in the midst of the intrigue of the 2020 Presidential Election, I thought it would be instructive to read this book by James Michener on the Electoral College and the follies of our method of selecting a President. Michener knows what he is talking about, because he served as an Elector in the 1968 election between Nixon, Humphrey, and George Wallace, and was actually in charge of the Pennsylvania delegation. He points out how our system is absolutely terrible in that it is an invitation to cheat, or go against the will of the people. The book is a little out of date, but I don't think much has changed. He points out the Electors have far more power than they ought to have, and that in many states they are not bound to vote for the candidate who won the state. He also points out that our system requires that a candidate receive a majority of the Electoral Vote to be elected President. In a 3 way race, such as in 1968, that is not a given; George Wallace won several states and received a healthy number of Electoral Votes. If no candidate receives a majority, the election goes to the House of Representatives and each state receives only one vote. The results of these circumstances may be very different from the vote in the election. Because of this, a candidate like Wallace could wield enormous power by directing his Electors to support one of the candidates in the Electoral College (thus circumventing the election going to the House) in exchange for promises (in Wallace's case it might well have been promises to not pass any Civil Rights legislation). To avoid Wallace's influence, the Democrats and Republicans might well strike a deal on their own to ensure that someone has a majority. In other words, the system is pure folly, and invites dishonesty. Actually, what I just described would be legal. So Michener rails against the Electoral College (not necessarily the electoral vote) and the requirement to send undecided elections to the House with each state receiving one vote. At a minimum, he thinks these two problems need to be corrected, and he thinks that bipartisan support for them might be achieved. He goes on to analyze other methods of electing the President and points out who would benefit from each one. There are some surprising results. As I watched the intrigue unfold after Biden clearly won the popular vote and the electoral vote, I worried about whether faithless Electors could swing the result to Trump. I believe the answer is Yes, although some states have put in place provisions to minimize the impact of faithless electors. There is also the process of counting the Electoral Votes, which can be challenged. Although unlikely, a fair election could be overturned that way. In summary, our system stinks, and the Founders realized that they had made mistakes. Fairly quickly the system broke down (Jefferson-Burr election) and amendments needed to be added. Another travesty was the election of Hayes, which required Congressional compromises that ended Reconstruction and sentenced Blacks in the South to another 100 years of Jim Crow laws. This book is well-worth reading for all who recognize the deficiencies in our Electoral College system; you can draw your own conclusions on the electoral vote.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Michener is an amazing author and I've enjoyed each of the half dozen plus books of his that I've read. As usual, this one is a well-researched and articulately presented work--this time about the Electoral College. It was fascinating to read in light of the fact that 48 years--and 12 presidential elections--have come and gone since Michener served as an elector in Pennsylvania for the 1968 election. It was that election which troubled him deeply and which seems mild in light of 2000 and 2016.

While he makes a good case that the founders weren't really all that happy with the EC and that there would be benefit to improving the system, he didn't sell me that the benefits of such a massive change would outweigh the negatives. And I'm always a little frustrated when an alternative outcome of an election is posed in terms of how it would have been if we used a direct voting system--in other words, if the popular vote carried the day. That ignores the reality that behavior and campaigning would change dramatically were those rules known at the outset--probably in a way that no one can predict; but certainly with no guarantee that the winner of any popular vote would still carry the day under that system.

Food for thought but not my favorite Michener by a long shot.

[Kathy]

Michener was preaching to the choir when I read this. He was talking about the Electoral College at the 1968 election. And the problems continue only more often. I hope the change to the PA Electoral College becomes law so at least the popular vote is reflected. It just goes to show how slowly some changes come.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book today as a jumping off point in a debate about the electoral college and the popular vote. Beginning in 2000 with the Gore/Bush election and followed by Clinton/Trump election in 2016, we have seen two candidates win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote. From the beginning Presidents in the U.S. are elected through the electoral vote. Five times in over 200 years the President who won the popular vote did not win the electoral vote. Twice the election was determined by the House of Representatives.
In 1968, James Michener, the novelist and historian, served as an elector to the Electoral College from Pennsylvania. LBJ had dropped out of the race because of the Vietnam War. Bobby Kennedy was killed in California. Hubert Humphrey was nominated on the Democratic ticket and Richard Nixon on the Republican ticket. George Wallace, a southern racist, ran as an independent. Michener and others feared that if the election was close and nobody had enough electoral votes, Wallace might attempt to influence the election through manipulation of the Electoral College.
Michener's thesis in this short book is that the electoral system for Presidential elections needs to be changed and the Electoral College eliminated. He reviews several of the Presidential elections where the Electoral System created problems. He also discusses 4 proposals for changing the system including abolishing the electoral system and having the person with the most popular votes be declared the winner which is not his first choice.
Several people today have raised the issue of eliminating the electoral system so it seems this book is as relevant today as it was more than 50 years ago.
If you are interested in politics and Presidential elections, I highly recommend that you read this book as part of your education.

[Salem · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a full-on rant against the Electoral College. Although Michener presented several replacement options, he stumped fairly heavily against direct popular elections. I'm not sure that conclusion stands up to some of his arguments against the current system or the less-favored options, but that requires probably more time and research than i'm going to put into this review.

Of particular interest was Michener's conviction that we're better off with our current two-party system than we would be with multiple parties. I'm not so sure of that, either.

[Jerry Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

History is repeating itself because we continue to use the Electoral System of selecting the President. Do you want to trust 538 voters to select the President or if they can’t the Congress? James Michener was an Elector for the 1968 election and describes the history and process and problems and alternatives of the existing system. A must read. A three star only because there is a lot of repetition but that may be good to drive the point home.

[Jaime Hyatt]

Interesting read. Written by Michener after his experience in the politics of the late 60s, but very relevant today. Wonder what he's think of our most recent election...?

[Brian Melchers]

Explains in easy words just what that Electoral College is all about and why we should get rid it. The electors are intermediaries who can vote according to their whims and not with the people. It’s all legal according to different state laws, through it may be frowned upon to vote differently than the people of your state.

[Thomas Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew how much Michener was into politcs, and this was written shortly after the 1968 election. Lots of criticism about the way we elect the President and presents many ideas for election reform. I enjoyed reading it, especially about the many elections that have been flawed in the past. Little did he know that would continue thru today.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really thorough and well researched study on the electoral college, it's origins, and what it has become. I thought I understood it before but this book was a revelation. A really interesting read written in 1969 that is just as important in 2017.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 / 5.0

INTERESTING UNUSUAL VOICE FOR A MICHENER OFFERING. FUNNY HOW WE ARE STILL LAMENTING THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE 50 YEARS LATER. WELL WRITTEN IF A LITTLE NAIVE IN HINDSIGHT.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book was written in response to the 1968 election, the suggestions that Michener makes seem relevant today. It some ways it is dated, but I enjoyed his arguments against the Electoral College.

[Sharon Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

I thoroughly love James Michener novels, however, I couldn't really get into this one. I hoped with the current presidential election I might under the process better. Unfortunately this book didn't do it.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit denser than I was expecting but an interesting read nonetheless. I wish there was an update with the new numbers mentioned throughout.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to Michener's usual outstanding work. He inserted too much of his opinion. This volume is super slender compared to his other books.

[Carol Neubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!

Written so many years ago...but so relevant today. Every registered voters needs to read this and demand a change in our voting system.

[Milt Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting.

[Chris Halverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good argument, sadly it didn't carry the day.

[Giana · Rating 3 out of 5]

timely but now this is just depressing

[Mary Gizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be must reading in high school civics

[Teresa Degen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Michener fan. This is unlike most of his books but his style is to be thorough and informative. This is an essay. It has all the earmarks of a college thesis paper - great footnotes and cross references. The case is put before us (then in 1968) and we haven't done enough to make this problem be overcome by rational thinking. Read this and get you congressman to look at it, too!

[Nikol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling read about the perils of the United States Electoral College. The electoral college should have been disbanded after the debacle of 1800 election and yet we are still saddled with it to this day.

"...James Wilson of Pennsylvania, who argued that the President, the Senate, and the House should be elected by direct vote of the people so as to make them as independent as possible of each other." He was supported by PA Gov. Morris, who said "If the President is to be the guardian of the people, let him be appointed by the people."

Definitely worth a read.

[Cathy Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the time I learned about the electoral college in 8th grade (trust me, that's been quite a while), I've thought that it made no sense, and the president should be elected by direct popular vote. Michener's case for eliminating the electoral college is articulate and very well-researched. He starts with his own experiences as a member of the college for the 1968 election, and the difficulties faced in that election, and then presents historical and statistical analysis. While some of it was a bit dense at times, that's the nature of the type of material and the detail provided. The part that I found most surprising was the appendix that had the complete text of the 4 different potential constitutional amendments that were all proposed in 1969 to replace the existing system. Knowing that these had been proposed so long ago, and yet we still have this system, was disappointing. I still hope that we can get rid of it (sooner rather than later).

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. I wonder if we ever will get to a place as a country where there would actually be a movement to revamp the election process to exclude the Electoral College.

[Stephanie C. Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

James A. Michener tells the tale of participating in the 1968 Presidential Election as an Elector and a Pennsylvania Democrat...and even of having to recruit Electors at the last minute due to a snowstorm. He also explains the system, cites the relevant portions of the U.S. Constitution plus Amendments, and suggests alternatives to the Electoral College system, complete with logical reasons for each. It’s an excellent, well-written, well-researched book, and leaves the reader with plenty to think about. He recommends abolishing the Electoral College system. Meanwhile, we’re stuck with this system, so I recommend understanding it. That means educating oneself to do so, which is why I read it.

[Wale · Rating 4 out of 5]

An introduction into the crazy world that is the American electoral system. In the light of this bizarre system one can only attribute the relative success of the American electoral process to that Anglo-Saxon genius for stable, self-governance. I wasn't even aware that what happened in the 2000 elections where Al Gore won the most popular votes in a presidential election since JFK and yet lost due to insufficient electoral votes had happened before in American history- three times!!
Since this book was written in 1968 I would really like to know if any ammendments have been made to the electoral process since then.

[Jediah · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Michener's critique on the pitfalls of the American Electoral System is perhaps now more relevant than ever before.

I read this book some time ago, but I have been thinking about writing a review for it ever since Trump began his second term in office.

I believe James Michener would be shocked to see that the Electoral System has allowed someone so unfit to be in the oval office.

Is it time to change how the voting system works?

Whatever you decide, this book is now essential reading.

[Darlene Torday · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but slow reading as I try to absorb the information presented here. Does make me want to change the system so popular vote decides the president for the next term. It makes no sense to continue doing it this way since from what I've read it basically depends on who is chosen to be one of the chosen as a electoral voter. Scary to see how it can all change in an instant even if the people want a different person.