Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

The creation of the Electoral College was the result of one of the many compromises of our Founding Fathers. The intentions of such a system were developed to create fairness for smaller states and to prevent an unsuitable candidate from acquiring the office. Although it has been rare, the possibility that the Electoral College and not the popular vote would decide a presidential election was intended in its creation. The pros and cons of such a system have changed over time and are heavily debated in our current circumstances. Due to advancements in technology not envisioned by the founders, alternatives have been suggested to resolve the conflicts of what some feel is an outdated system.

The Founding Fathers developed the system of the

politics, while others want to abolish the institution.” (Josephson, 2016) There are both pros and cons to the Electoral College as established by the founders. One reason to keep the Electoral College is highly populated areas of the united states may be more enticing to a candidate to visit than small rural towns. The time given to acquire the votes of these larger areas may leave the values and needs of the voters in smaller states without consideration. “One reason that some analysts support the electoral college is that it encourages candidates to pay attention to small states and not just get out the vote in big, populous states and cities”. (Josephson, 2016) On the other hand, the idea that people avoid third-party candidates and choose between the major two-party system may discourage voters from going to the polls. Augments against the Electoral College say “It makes it very hard for a third party to break through at the national level and increases the risk that a third party could spoil a candidate’s chance of winning, which in turn discourages people from voting for third-party candidates.” (Josephson, 2016) Voters from every state whether large or small should feel confident that their vote

“ But just because the Electoral College has worked just as the Founding Fathers intended for over 200 years does not mean that it should never be modified or even abandoned completely” (Longley, 2017) One idea to alter the Electoral College would be to give the winner of the popular vote a bonus. “Instead of scrapping the Electoral College, augment it, adding 102 electors to be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote”. (Schlesinger, 2016) The added bonus votes would help to make sure that the popular vote is respected. The process of additional bonus points would still take into account the less densely populated states. Candidates would have to rely on the votes in these states to win the popular vote as they do under the current system. “84 percent of electoral votes would be won on a state-by-state basis, ensuring the candidates would still have to pile up state victories to achieve the presidency.” (Schlesinger, 2016) Perhaps, for further fairness, the extra points could only be awarded if the popular vote exceeds a certain percentage. The bonus system would be one way the popular vote and the Electoral College might be balanced to reflect the true will of the