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Criado-Mastros 1 Marc Criado-Mastros Mrs. Mary Leoson ENG101 (Unit 7) 28 September 2019 The Electoral College and why we need a Constitutional Amendment to abolish it. Source: Lessig, Lawrence. "Electoral College Confusions". Thehill , 2018, https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/413998-electoral-college-confusions. Introduction The Electoral College is the process through which the president and the vice president are selected into power. Contrary to what many may think, the Electoral College is a process and not necessarily a specific locality (US National Archives and Records Administration (a). The method is per the United States constitution and thus giving it the ultimate power as far as the presidential election laws are concerned. The process involves the selection of the president through 538 elected representatives, where the president and the vice president must gather at

Criado-Mastros 2 least 270 electoral votes to win. The representatives include congress members, state, and district representatives; for example, the District of Columbia has three votes as stipulated in the 23rd amendment (US National Archives and Records Administration (b). The popular vote does not necessarily dictate who wins the election as occasionally presidents have won the Electoral College vote and lost the popular, thus making people question the legitimacy of the Electoral College. The paper explores the existence of the Electoral College and evaluates its performance, success, and failures as the constitutional method of electing the president and the vice president in the United States. The Electoral College History The founding fathers of the nation started the Electoral College after serious and rigorous deliberations on what is the correct process to elect the president and his vice president. Many people had different opinions about how the president should be chosen but resolved into the Electoral College as a compromise due to the many factors in play ( Black 16). The Electoral College was among the main reasons for the 1787 constitutional convention to ensure that the best method for the country to elect its top leadership is found (Roos). However, it was not until 1804 that the founding fathers agreed on the Electoral College. Although it was a compromise for many things, many of the proponents argued that it was not perfect but an excellent and workable process. Conversely, some felt that the process would encourage corruption and compromise the oversight role of the congress on the executive (Roos). While others advocated for the popular vote to carry the day as that is the only sure way to ensure that power remains on the people.

Criado-Mastros 3 Slavery was rampant in the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. The majority of the southern states had a larger population of slaves than the Native Americans. In some states, the slave population accounted for more than 60% of the total population (Roos). The Electoral College came as a compromise, which was popularly known as the “three-fifths compromise” where one save was counted as three-fifths of a person to reduce their power in electing their representatives. The method also assisted in calculating taxes for the people and their regions. Through the Electoral College, the white settlers would retain control and elect their leaders who supported their policies and slaver. The compromise allowed people from all over the country, regardless of their numbers or the size of their geographical locations, to be represented in the national leadership (Roos). Thus the Electoral College was a compromise for many circumstances and issues at that time. Process The Electoral College is not a complicated message process and was established based on equality and advocating for the rights of the minority groups in the country. The Electoral College process involves selecting the electors, gathering of the electors to vote, counting the votes, and announcing the results for the president and the vice president. The Electoral College is anchored in Article II, section 1 of the US Constitution, which states that the states can choose their representatives and selects the electors in any manner they desire based on the number of their congressional representation (US National Archives and Records Administration (a). For example, the Washington state has three representatives, two from within and one outside the state. Upon voting, the one who receives the highest number of votes becomes presided while the runners up become the vice president.

Criado-Mastros 4 The president-elect must get at least 270 votes out of the 538, and in the event, no one gets the majority of the vote, the house of representatives would decide. The selection would be for the top five candidates who received the majority of the electoral vote. If the vice president votes have a tie, the senate has the mandate to vote and come up with one person to become the vice president among the selected nominees (US National Archives and Records Administration (b). The office of the federal register manages the Electoral College on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, American [people, and the states. The office of the national register acts as an intermediary and an overseer of the Electoral College process and also as a trusted agent of the US Congress. It also reviews the legitimacy and legality of the documents used in the process, whether in congress or other avenues in the process. Evaluating the US Electoral College The Electoral College is a method that involves the election by the people through their representatives. Some people have disputed the role of the people in voting for their favorite candidates for president and vice president. Ideally, as it is the norm in many countries, people elect their leaders, and the winner takes the day. The Electoral College is said to be irrelevant as it does not necessarily reflect the will of the people (Spivak). Some question whether the electors are after their interests and or the country. Some of the bias is likely to occur due to personal relationships and the candidate. The questions that people ask do the people elect the president. The controversy is that the issue has no definite answer as it depends based on the argument. For example, saying no means that the electors elect the president and not the electorate, but also, the question can argue that people choose the electors as their representatives who vote for the president.

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