ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

2065 Words9 Pages

The Electoral College: An Ineffective Method of Selecting a President The Electoral College has been a topic of debate in the United States for quite some time, forming a fissure between citizens, especially being fomented given recent and imminent elections (list 6, 11, 15). There have been elections where the winner of the Electoral College did not win the popular vote: 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and most recently 2016 (pattern 10). While rare, this can be significant, with the winning candidate losing popular vote margins by as high as 3,000,000 votes, a situation that is often recondite and redoubtable to the average American (list 8, 21). These situations raise concerns (pattern 20). Regarding the efficacy of the system, if the president …show more content…

One major argument is that “the elimination of the Electoral College would destroy the two-party system” effectively “destroying the cohesiveness of the nation” which is not true (McCollester). Rather, the two-party system has had a negative effect on the country, “ideas outside the mainstream may have a difficult time being heard” as third parties are minimized in favor of two major parties (Hartvigsen). Maintaining the Electoral College to preserve the two-party system is pointless; a greater variety of candidates could improve elections and better represent voters (pattern 1). Others have argued that the Electoral College is a sacrosanct tradition that is endemic to the country and the paradigm of voting systems; however, traditions can change (pattern 1a, list 4, 12, 14). However, many scholars and savants censure and deride the system because of its age, claiming that it “was obsolete within a bare decade of its inauguration” and has been outgrown by the country (Rakove, list 8, 13). The Electoral College was created by the founding fathers, founders who have nothing in common with us today and did not experience the same social milieu having digressed from that of their time (pattern 9, 12, 21). While many Americans likely blanch at the possibility of altering tradition and are tenacious toward change, we have no obligation to maintain this system, and keeping it on this basis is a banal, hackneyed excuse (list 6, 8, 9,

Show More
Related

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

511 Words | 3 Pages

There are many proposed plans to run the government and decide the next president. Ideas including the District Plan, the Proportional Plan, the Direct Popular Election, the National Bonus Plan, and the National Popular Vote plan are in mind to fix the current system yet none have been decided. Currently, the president is decided by a method known as the Electoral College; however, this method has many disadvantages. In the United States today, the government runs a system known as the Electoral College.

Read More

Electoral College Be Abolished Dbq

664 Words | 3 Pages

For many years, there has been a controversy whether to keep or abolish the Electoral College. The Electoral College is a system that was created by the Founding Fathers to eliminate unfairness and to ensure that all parts of the country are involved in the Presidential election. However, there is evidence for both sides of the argument to prove whether it is an effective system or not. The Electoral College should be abolished from our government.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Abolishing The Electoral College

605 Words | 3 Pages

Did you know that in two out of the last five U.S. presidential elections, the candidate who won the popular vote did not win the presidency? Now, to explore the question, Should We Abolish the Electoral College? The very system that defies the will of the majority. This question is often being thought about as the Electoral College has what some may argue advantages and perks, but it does have its downsides and what some may argue flaws. We will be exploring on why the current Electoral College should be left alone, as it does not allow the majority to always get their way, it ensures that all parts of a country is involved in the election and that candidates will serve the entire country, and lastly, the Electoral College creates a compromise between popular vote and congressional choice.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

569 Words | 3 Pages

Generations to come, ponder the ideology of: Should the Electoral College continue to hold the power of electing the President of the United States? The process of appointing electors varies by state, but generally, political parties nominate electors at their state conventions. Each state is allocated electoral votes equal to its total number of representatives in Congress. The Electoral College provides each state with a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress, which combines the proportional representation of the House of Representatives with the equal representation of the Senate; Aiming to prevent the dominance of more populous states over smaller ones. The Electoral College is an effective form of campaigning for the next president as it’s consistent, balances regional interests, and it preserves federalism.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

738 Words | 3 Pages

Lastly, the Electoral College ignores the will of the people. There are 538 electors and over 300 million people in the United States and only 538 people get to decide who gets to be voted in. Is there a better way then the Electoral College for voting? This question is very opinionated because some people think we don’t need the Electoral College at all and other do. But, I think the Electoral College isn’t that bad of a way, because you wouldn’t want some uneducated adult that has no idea what they are doing decide who they want to run the country.

Read More

Should The Electoral College Be Abolished Dbq Essay

1020 Words | 5 Pages

The Electoral College is one of the most important systems in the United States’ elections, and a deciding factor in every general election for the presidency. Established in 1787, the College has been a system in the US for quite a while. Some people would say that it is unconstitutional, because in some elections people who didn’t even get the popular vote still won, and others say that it is a great and founding system that is integral to a fair election. In my opinion, it is a great system that is very much needed in our election process and I believe our country would be a lot different without it. As one of the most important systems in the US, it’s hard to imagine how elections would be in the absence of it.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

753 Words | 4 Pages

Between news sources, multi-media outlets, and social media, Americans are able to educate themselves and form their own personal opinions concerning politics. When the Electoral College was created, in the late 1700’s, those that were permitted to vote received little knowledge about who they were actually voting for, so it only seemed plausible to have the well-educated people of the nation make the final decision. This idea had protected the U.S. from the risk of leaving the power of choosing who the President is in the hands of ill informed voters of the 1700’s. But now it is the 21st century, and this concept has become outdated to the U.S.’s

Read More

What Are The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

831 Words | 4 Pages

The Electoral College Luke C. Morris Ozark High School American Government Mr. Thompson Mar 9, 2024 The electoral college is a very important part of elections and making decisions for the country. It was created for a specific purpose and usually carries out its purpose except for a select few times when it has failed. There have been questions about this form of government and ideas to create a new form of government. But the founding fathers created it for a reason and has only failed to achieve its objective a select few times.

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

1137 Words | 5 Pages

The US’s Electoral College has always been a controversial topic. When it was written into the Constitution, it was meant as a compromise between the small and large states, and between Congress and the states (M. West). Since then, the Electoral College system has been how the United States elected its presidents. However, it continues to face criticism and many want the system to change, favoring systems such as a national popular vote instead (National Conference of State Legislatures). Despite how the US’s Electoral College effectively balances power between the states and the federal government, it is still a deeply flawed voting system due to it being based on unrealistic expectations and outdated ideals that should be changed to reflect

Read More

Should Electoral College Be Changed

1338 Words | 6 Pages

If we somehow happened to be a capable vote, then we ought to have the capacity to really pick who might be president. The Electoral College removes that from us. The Electoral College is not by any stretch of the imagination reasonable for our rights and our opportunity. It, for the most part, takes away the ability to vote the president. The Electoral College was made in a period when votes were harder to gather and number.

Read More

Electoral College Elections Research Paper

1151 Words | 5 Pages

In a twenty-first century environment, the Electoral College is unfair. Caroline Jenkins makes this case against the Electoral College: In testimony before Congress in 1997, the League of Women Voters pointed out that apart from the public outcry that would be caused by circumvention of the popular will, there are a number of other serious flaws in the Electoral College system. The Electoral College system is fundamentally unfair to voters. In a nation where voting rights are grounded in the one-person, one-vote principle, the Electoral College is a hopeless anachronism.

Read More

Problems With American Democracy: The Electoral College

1120 Words | 5 Pages

Thomas Hastings PSC 1113 Miranda Canody November 21, 2014 Problems with American Democracy: The Electoral College No other institution of government has been at the center of controversy more than the Electoral College. The presidency, and therefore the direction of this country, has been decided by this institution, which was created by the Framers of this country. The history of the Electoral college has been marred by many flaws and mistakes, but these mistakes could be corrected by either heavily changing the College or by abolishing it completely.

Read More

Dbq Essay On The Electoral College

904 Words | 4 Pages

Several years after the United States came to be, the Constitutional Convention met to determine how the new nation should govern itself. The delegates saw that it was crucial to have a president and vice president, but the delegates did not want these offices to reflect how the colonies were treated under the British rule. The delegates believed that the president’s power should be limited, and that he should be chosen through the system known as the Electoral College. The Electoral College is a body of people who represent the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the electing of the president and vice president. Many citizens feel that the Electoral College goes against our nation’s principle of representative democracy, while others

Read More

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

619 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Electoral College Dbq Analysis

1026 Words | 5 Pages

In 1787, years after the founding of the United States, the Constitutional Convention met to decide how the new nation would govern itself. The delegates understood that the need for a leader was necessary but still bitterly remembered how Britain abused of its power. The delegates agreed that the President and Vice President should be chosen informally and not based on the direct popular vote, thus gave birth to the Electoral College. The Electoral College is defined as “a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.” Since 1787 the Electoral College has been the system for voting in the United States, but with our nation ever more changing and growing it

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

Open Document