Electoral college actually is, and the flaws that exist within its mechanics. The Electoral College is a selective group of 538 electors who specifically vote for the office of President and the Vice President of the United States of America. A candidate has to get the majority, which is 270 votes, in order to win the distinguished office of the presidency. All states, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, have a “unit rule,” or in colloquial terms, a “winner takes all'' system in place. This means the winner of the popular vote in that particular state will then receive all of the votes from its electors, no matter how close the votes are. ('What is the Electoral College?') The obvious issue with this rule is that it does not take into account the desire of the voters and shows the first major issue with the Electoral College.
When the Constitution was formed, the United States was the first of its kind; no other country was electing its leader, so they wanted to carefully choose how our nation’s leader was selected. In short, the Electoral College was formed as a compromise between having Congress appoint the president and letting the people vote. Other reasons for the formation were: the founding fathers did not believe the “common person,” especially in rural areas had adequate knowledge in selecting a president, they did not want elections to have bias, and they wanted to refrain from giving bigger states all the power.
The use of the Electoral College has been the only approach the U.S. has used to gain a President, but this way has generated numerous issues. The first problem it creates is the opportunity for the loser of the popular vote to win the electoral vote. We have seen this outcome in the 2016 Presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and in the 2000 election between George H.W. Bush and Al Gore (Black). It has also happened four times out of the 56 presidential elections. Secondly, it creates a minimalist depiction in the minds of the candidate towards more than 40 states. Many of these states don't participate in campaign visits or get televised ads. Candidates feel they either can't win or lose with the votes from these states. More attention is given to the swing states, such as Florida and Iowa, which causes the third problem the Electoral College can cause. Candidates feel these states need a little bit more of their attention and apply pressure to supply these states with solutions to their problems in order to gain their vote. Lastly, the biggest problem that the Electoral College produces is the reality that a person's vote really doesn't matter (Black). The one-vote approach does not align with the way the electoral votes operate. An individual's vote doesn't make a difference when it is counted against the votes of the delegates in the House of Representatives and Senate. All in all, the Electoral College causes many problems that seem unfair to American voters during such an important election.
Over the years, we have made strides as a country in voting rights such as: giving minorities and women the right to vote, changing the voting age to 18 from 21, and making registration easier for Americans. (Panetta, 2019) If we make adjustments to these rights to best fit the America of today, why are we as a nation still following an outdated way of counting votes and making a major political decision? We need to give our citizens the power behind their vote that they deserve and have a right to, by replacing the Electoral College with the popular vote.
While we look further into the National Popular Vote, let's investigate some of its pros and cons for the American democracy. The first advantage allows for electoral votes to be fairer than the Electoral College (Richards). Americans are still bent up and flustered on how an individual could lose the popular vote, but still, be given the upper hand in Electoral College votes. The second advantage is that all votes would be equally weighed (Richards). Each vote would affect each candidate instead of being overlooked due to which state those votes would be coming from. Without the popular vote bill, swing states would continue to get more leverage and attention from candidates to ensure that they would be able to capture their votes. Lastly, some Americans believe that there would be an increase in voter turn-out if people felt that their vote was viewed as a significant asset to their country.
Persuasive Speech (Monroe’s Motivational Sequence) Reforming the Electoral College Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the Electoral College is outdated and needs to be reformed. Central Idea: I will discuss the most important reasons that the Electoral College needs to be reformed, the promising …
Francisco Colin 4th Period There have been many talks about the Electoral College and how it should or should not be abolished when election time comes around. Many people feel that the electoral college is unfair because it seems that even if we vote it …
The Electoral College is the statutory system in the United States for the election of the President and the Vice President. In 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Constitution of the United States was created. Before the Constitutional Convention, the United States …
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. … A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state’s entitled amount of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of …
When It comes to majority rule, the concept itself is quite simple, the higher number should have the greater power. There are different scenarios where we could potentially see majority rule taking place. Scenarios such as voting on political leaders, products and services. When equilibrium …
Write an essay that explains how the Electoral College works. How does the Electoral College shape the strategy of candidates? Why is it harder to win presidential elections post 1968? Every four years, on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November, millions of U. …
If a political institution lacks in legitimacy it will not last long. States are the foundation of governments and regimes, and use power and fear to keep order. People need to believe in the institution, or else people will revolt. When the demands exceed the …
John Winthrop is well known and quoted for a speech that he gave in Plymouth. He is known for saying, ‘For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.’ While he was …
An incumbency advantage is someone who has been in office for a long period of time. The incumbency advantage will help a person to gain more publicity since they have more access towards money. Those who have more money for their campaign will most likely …
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