Do We Need the Electoral College? Following the 2016 election many individuals we shocked to find Donald Trump had won the Presidency while not having the popular vote. They were unaware of how the electoral college works and how the president is actually elected through the electoral college rather than the popular vote. But, before we find out if we need the electoral college, we must look into why it was created, and look at the pros and cons of the electoral college as well as the pros and cons of the proposed system to replace it. History During colonial days, Founding Fathers were debating how the country should be represented in the federal government. On one side was the Virginia plan written by James Madison, he thought that states …show more content…
For the example of California, it would be 55 members in the House plus the two members in the Senate to equal 57 electoral votes. 48 states are a winner take all with their electoral votes, meaning the candidate with the majority of votes in that state gets all of the electoral votes. The remaining two states, Nebraska and Maine divide their votes for the proportion that they win. During presidential elections, each state has its election and the people vote for who they want to be president, but they do not vote directly for the president. They electors see how the people vote and pledge to vote along with the majority, although it is very rare sometimes they do not vote along with the majority. they are called a faithless elector. There is a total of 538 electoral votes, and to win the presidency the presidential candidate needs the majority or 270 votes to win. If the presidential candidate does not secure the majority, the House of Representatives will then vote on who becomes