Essay On It Is Time For America To Abolish The Electoral College

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In light of the recent election it is time for America to abolish the electoral college. Discuss. The results of the latest U.S. presidential elections has re-introduced some of the political issues concerning the election system. One of the main issues being discussed is the role of the long-standing Electoral College. This mechanism is usually considered to be controversial because of its impact on the presidential elections. Even though the Electoral College is a very frequent target of criticism, there are many people who still support it. The fact that the arguments presented by both sides are from different perspectives and contradictory makes it very difficult to reach any form of an acceptable consensus. One of the main arguments used by the supporters to prove the importance of the Electoral College is stressing its long tradition in connection with its role in the federal system. The Electoral College was established by the Constitution in 1787. Ever since then it has been valid in an …show more content…

The system allows the election of a minority president. In this situation the loser of the popular vote wins the electoral vote. According to the "winner take all" method in which the candidate who receives the majority of the votes in the state wins all of its Electors, it is possible for the candidate to become the president even without having the popular vote. This is also the case of the 2016 presidential elections. In this case Donald Trump passed 270 electoral college votes but Hillary Clinton received more popular votes. Even though there have been immediate reactions by the opponents of the Electoral College demanding its abolition , it is unlikely that such major change is about to happen. Looking back to history, it has been very difficult to get the necessary support in the Congress in order to try to change the traditional