Which of the following became a valid criticism of the Electoral College system after the 2000 Bush v. Gore presidential elections?
A.
The election had to be decided in the Senate.
B.
The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency.
C.
The election was too close to be decided on the day people voted.
D
.
The winner of the electoral vote was not guaranteed the presidency.
B.
The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency.
B. The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency.
The correct answer to the question is B - The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency.
To arrive at this answer, let's go through the options and eliminate the incorrect ones:
A. The election had to be decided in the Senate: This option is incorrect because it refers to a situation where the election outcome is decided by the Senate. In the 2000 Bush v. Gore presidential election, the decision was ultimately made by the Supreme Court, not the Senate.
B. The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency: This option is correct. In the 2000 election, Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the electoral vote and, therefore, became the president. This scenario highlighted one of the criticisms of the Electoral College system – that the person who receives the most votes nationwide may not necessarily become president.
C. The election was too close to be decided on the day people voted: This option is incorrect as it does not reflect a criticism of the Electoral College system. It refers to the closeness of the election and the need for extended counting and legal battles, but it does not specifically address the flaws of the Electoral College system.
D. The winner of the electoral vote was not guaranteed the presidency: This option is incorrect because in the 2000 Bush v. Gore election, George W. Bush, who won the electoral vote, did become president. The controversy in that election centered around the fact that the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency, not that the winner of the electoral vote didn't become president.
In summary, the correct answer is B - The winner of the popular vote was not guaranteed the presidency.