Should We Abolish The Electoral College?

The Electoral College is established in Article Two of the U.S. Constitution, it states that “Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons. The person having the highest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole numbers of electors appointed”(Hardaway 79). The twelfth amendment modifies this procedure to require balloting for president and vice president be done separately. Although there were sixty-nine electors who participated in the first election, we now have a total of five hundred and thirty-eight. To win the presidency, a candidate must receive two hundred and seventy votes. California has the highest number of electors, with fifty-five. Tied for last are

Throughout history, there have been around eleven thousand constitutional amendments proposed. Over one thousand of them have had something to do with the Electoral College, mostly being proposals to change it into a popular vote. Yet, well over forty years have passed since congress has seriously considered a constitutional amendment to abolish it (Williams). From the number of proposals and alternatives for electoral reform that have been introduced since the Constitutional Convention, some have been seriously considered and some have been just plain bizarre. For example, Senator James Hillhouse’s proposal in 1808 that would allow retiring senators to choose a president by drawing colored balls from a box (Hardaway). Despite all the attempts, the Electoral College has stood the test of time. Why? Because without it, candidates would no longer be required to seek support throughout the country. They could focus solely on highly populated areas and completely ignore the needs of less populated states and regions. Before the Electoral College was officially named the way we would elect a president, the framers had narrowed it down to three options: election by the senate alone, election by the house, or electors chosen by the state 's representation in congress (McCollester). The Electoral College was the only way that would still give citizens a

It is so important that we maintain this system because without it, only highly populated states and counties would get to decide everything for our entire nation. The Electoral College is the most fair way we have, and it ensures that every citizen is allowed a voice in electing the president. Since the president is a major player in making national policy, it is just as important that they care about national interests as they are about local interests. The Electoral College is designed to make that possible. We cannot let states like California, New York, Florida, and Texas decide the fate of our entire country simply because of their high population. The Electoral College’s opponents believe that it is an unfair way of doing things because it doesn’t necessarily make every vote count, but they may not realize that it lets every state have a say. The candidate with an absolute majority in each state receives the elector’s votes, therefore it really boils down to a popular election just on a state by state basis, rather than a national one. “The proposals to abolish the Electoral College are proposals to abolish the Federal principle in presidential elections”(Best). The Electoral College has history on it’s side, the system they use really works, it is the best option we have, and it needs to be