History of Electoral college in Timeline

An electoral college is a group of electors chosen to elect a candidate to a particular office. Primarily used in democracies, it's a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliamentary chamber. Electors are either directly elected by the people or chosen by subregional entities or organizations.

1905: Switch to Direct Elections

In 1905, Norway switched to direct elections after using regional electoral colleges to elect legislators from 1814.

1910: Electoral College Elimination

In 1910, Colombia eliminated its electoral college.

1918: Electoral College for Senators

Until 1918, Uruguay had one electoral college for every department, each electing the senator for that department.

1920: Electoral College in Use

In 1920, the Chilean electoral college was used to elect its president.

1925: Electoral College Replaced

In 1925, Chile's constitution was amended, and the electoral college was replaced with direct elections by popular vote.

1931: Electoral College in Use

In 1931, during the Second Republic, Spain's president was elected by an electoral college.

1936: Electoral College in Use

Until 1936, during the Second Republic, Spain's president was elected by an electoral college.

1940: Constitution Replaced

In 1940, the 1870 Constitution was replaced in Paraguay.

1943: Direct Elections

In 1943, Paraguay replaced the electoral college with direct elections by popular vote.

1944: Exception Law

In 1944, Finland applied an exception law.

1946: Parliament Selection

In 1946, Finland selected president by parliament.

1948: Election by National Assembly

From 1948, the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) was elected by the National Assembly.

1949: Peronist Amendment

In 1949, the Peronist amendment, promoted by President Juan Perón, replaced Argentina's electoral college with direct popular vote elections.

1951: Direct Elections

In 1951, Argentina held direct elections by popular vote, following the 1949 Peronist amendment.

1954: Legislative Elections

From 1875 to 1954, France had its president elected by the legislature.

1957: Repeal of Amendment

In 1957, after the Revolución Libertadora, the constitutional convention repealed the 1949 amendment, reinstating the electoral college in Argentina.

1958: Reestablishment of Electoral College

In 1958, the electoral college was reestablished in Argentina, starting with the general election that year.

1961: Appointment of State President

From 1961, the state president of South Africa was appointed by the members of the House of Assembly and the Senate.

1962: Referendum on Direct Elections

After the 1962 referendum, the electoral college in France was replaced with direct elections by popular vote.

1964: Military Dictatorship's Electoral College

In 1964, during Brazil's military dictatorship, the president was chosen by an electoral college.

1965: Direct Elections by Popular Vote

Since 1965, direct elections by popular vote, using a two-round system, have been in place in France.

1972: Election by Electoral College

From 1972, during South Korea's dictatorships, the president was elected by an electoral college.

1972: Temporary Constitutional Reform

In 1972, the outgoing military junta decreed an illegal 'temporary constitutional reform' that was supposed to be later ratified by an elected constitutional convention in Argentina.

March 1973: General Elections

In March 1973, Argentina used a two-round direct election system established by the outgoing military junta.

September 1973: General Elections

In September 1973, Argentina used a two-round direct election system established by the outgoing military junta.

1973: Extended Term

In 1973, Finland applied an extended term by exception law.

1981: Election by Electoral College

Until 1981, during South Korea's dictatorships, the president was elected by an electoral college.

1983: Adoption of Constitution

In 1983, after the adoption of the 1983 Constitution, the new House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and House of Delegates designated members to the electoral college.

1983: Electoral College Reinstated

In 1983, the electoral college was used again in Argentina.

1987: Direct Elections Introduced

In 1987, democratization in South Korea resulted in direct elections.

1988: New Constitution

In 1988, Brazil established a new constitution leading to the restoration of democracy.

1988: Electoral College in Place

Until 1988, Finland had an electoral college for the country's president.

1989: Direct Election

In 1989, Brazil replaced its electoral college with a two-round system direct election.

1993: Electoral College in Use

By 1993, the electoral college was still in use in Argentina.

1994: Direct Elections Introduced

In 1994, Finland replaced the electoral college by direct elections.

1994: Constitutional Amendment

In 1994, a constitutional amendment in Argentina largely ended the use of the electoral college, replacing it with direct elections.

1994: Parliamentary Election

In 1994, the president of South Africa was elected by the South African Parliament.

1995: Modified Election System

In 1995, a modified two-round direct elections by popular vote system was put in use in Argentina.

1996: Direct Elections Introduced

In 1996, democratization in Taiwan resulted in direct elections for the President of the Republic of China.

2009: Regional Council Elections

Until 2009, the Regional Councils in Chile were elected by provincial electoral colleges composed with communal councillors of local governments in each province.