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The Contoversy of the Electoral College

Professor Hill
Course

American Government (POL 110)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course
Academic year: 2022/2023
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Northern Kentucky University

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The Electoral College Serenity C. Ford Campbellsville University Introduction The electoral college has been around since 1804. It was a compromise between those at the Constitutional Convention on electing a president. Each state gets as many electors as they have members in congress, and since congress has 538 members, the electoral college has 538 electors that are a part of it. The total number of votes to elect a president is 270, which is a majority vote. These members are necessary because this allows United States citizens to vote for the president indirectly. The electoral college has changed since the first presidential election, and many agree that the system is flawed. It does provide a way for really close elections to be determined, but that also makes people feel as though their vote does not count. Electors are placed in their positions in various ways, the details of which vary on each state's laws. We vote for our candidate's preferred electors whenever we vote in presidential elections. After the general election, the state governor puts together a list of Ascertainment, which lists the preferred electors.

Controversy of the Electoral College One of the significant reasons critics dislike the system is because they feel that it renders the popular vote obsolete. Elections have been won in a way where the winner did not win the popular vote due to how the electoral college functions. Because of this, many critics claim that it is not the most democratic way of measuring the widespread consensus. For example, suppose someone votes democrat for the presidential election, but they do so in a state with a historical connection to the republican party, like Texas. In that case, their voice will have little to no effect. Another controversy regarding the electoral college is how “swing” states are exclusively focused on during campaigns. Campaigners see no reason to go after states heavily leaning toward either party because they are doubtful to change. Instead, they invest their money and time into the “purple” or “swing” states. These swing states are where almost all major battles are held to sway said state’s inhabitants. Due to this tactic, however, the citizens of blue states are expected to vote democrat, and red states are expected to vote republican. This aspect of the college goes against the idea that a presidential candidate should campaign relatively equally everywhere because, as it is, the president can campaign in swing states and assume that the rest of the country will follow the typical pattern.

Reformation of the Electoral College Citizens of the United States have never really liked the Electoral college idea. Many Americans see the Electoral college as something that gives unequal weight and says in votes depending on where most people live. In order to change the electoral college, an amendment would have to be

Case for the Electoral College The electoral college is helpful in some cases. It does make it possible for the United States to elect a president even when the race is incredibly close on the popular vote side. Also, due to the way the system works, any third-party candidates are drowned out of the race. Many people consider this a good thing because this encourages a two-party system. The electoral college also ensures that more emphasis and respect is given to the state itself, which helps keep the cogs of federalism moving. The founding fathers believed that the state’s viewpoint as a whole was more valuable than a national popular vote, so why should that be any different today? It also ensures that the opinions of heavily populated and metropolitan areas do not exclusively control the outcome of the vote.

References

Arguments for the electoral college - gilder lehrman institute of ... (n.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from gilderlehrman/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Arguments%20for%20the% Electoral%20College_0

National Archives and Records Administration. (n.). What is the Electoral College? National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 8, 2022, from archives/electoral-college/about

What is the Electoral College and why is it controversial? ADL. (2020, October 2). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from adl/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/what-is-the-electoral-college- and-why-is-it-controversial

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The Contoversy of the Electoral College

Course: American Government (POL 110)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course

University: Campbellsville University

Was this document helpful?
The Electoral College Ford 1
The Electoral College
Serenity C. Ford
Campbellsville University
Introduction
The electoral college has been around since 1804. It was a compromise between those at the
Constitutional Convention on electing a president. Each state gets as many electors as they have
members in congress, and since congress has 538 members, the electoral college has 538 electors
that are a part of it. The total number of votes to elect a president is 270, which is a majority
vote. These members are necessary because this allows United States citizens to vote for the
president indirectly. The electoral college has changed since the first presidential election, and
many agree that the system is flawed. It does provide a way for really close elections to be
determined, but that also makes people feel as though their vote does not count. Electors are
placed in their positions in various ways, the details of which vary on each state's laws. We vote
for our candidate's preferred electors whenever we vote in presidential elections. After the
general election, the state governor puts together a list of Ascertainment, which lists the preferred
electors.

Students also viewed

Related documents