Kayden Prange
US Gov
Prof. Ah Loy
MAy 11, 2018
Electoral College
The Electoral College is a form of process that consists of the electors’ selection. It is the meeting of the electors in which they will conduct the selection of the President and the Vice President. The process also involves the electoral votes counting by Congress. The founding fathers of the Electoral College had established it within the Constitution as the compromise between the President’s election by the vote within Congress as well as the election of the President based on the common vote of eligible citizens. The establishment of the process both has some advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages are Prevention of victory solely based on urban regions. People
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The Constitution has been designed to divided government into 3 different branches that are designed to offer “balances and checks” along with deliberation. Certain proponents have argued that when the President is directly elected he can declare a national well-known mandate which will undermine the other branches of the government. What’s more it may probably lead to tyranny.
Two Party System. A lot of people consider the negative effect of the Electoral College on 3rd parties as a good idea. It maintains the present two party systems in providing the county with firm stability. Minority Groups. Certain proponents have argued that the interest groups and minority groups may have a huge impact in influencing votes because of the winner take all system within the states.
There is also many disadvantages. These would be States in bigger “swing” obtain the majority of attention. In the majority of states, the candidate having the majority of votes acquires all the electoral votes of the state. A few states hold the history of voting consistently the Democrat or the Republican. Candidates might pay less attention to those states having more attention and clear favorites to big states without clear
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Some of the most debatable parts of the Patriot Act is people having issues with privacy and government surveillance. According to The Patriot Act: What Is the Proper Balance Between National Security and Individual Rights?, “Public opinion has consistently supported the Patriot Act. An August 2003 Gallup Poll asked whether the Patriot Act goes too far, is about right, or doesn't go far enough in restricting people's civil liberties. Only 21 percent responded that it goes too far. Fifty-five percent said it is about right, and 19 percent answered that it does not go far enough.” The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures . . . ." This amendment requires officers to get warrants only if they have "probable cause", with that being in place it helps people have some type of assurance with their personal freedom and privacy. The media has a huge role in maintaining the image of the USA Patriot Act. According to The USA Patriot Act: Civil Liberties, the Media, and Public Opinion, “Historically, during troubled times, the American public has turned to the mass media for information and solace. Trusted reporters such as Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite informed the nation that Nazi Germany had fallen to Allied troops,a° that
Another problem surrounding the Electoral College system is that it allows one-party states, states that almost always go to one party. In this context, a Democrat who casts a vote in a mostly Republican state feels that his vote is wasted because of no way that state will be won by a Democrat. Besides, the system is based on two-party elections, the Democrat and the Republican leaving Americans with two candidates to choose (Belenky, 364). The voters end up picking the candidate with fewer issues rather than the one they support. In my opinion, people feel that Electoral College has single-handedly defeated
This makes it hard for the people of the U.S to feel that they actually had an effect in the presidential election. "A presidential candidate could be elected with as a little as 21.8% of the popular vote by getting just over 50% of the votes in DC and each of 39 small states." (Jesse Ruderman 2) The popular vote isn't guaranteed because of this Electoral College. If a state has a majority of Democratic voters then the Republicans do not have a chance in winning the electoral vote for their state. This makes the system unfair because Republicans are not being represented in this state's vote. The republicans still have a slight chance because "there is no constitution provision or federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their
The continuation of the Electoral College is constantly debated. Some want to discontinue the system while others want keep it. There are several arguments used by those who want to continue the system. One argument by Electoral College Advocates is the Electoral College balances the power of the large and small states in elections. These advocates state that doing away with the Electoral College would give the states with larger populations too much power in the outcome of elections. The advocates feel that presidential candidates will spend their resources on the states with the largest amount of voters. These advocates also believe that the Electoral College protects minorities’ interests. Some believe that without the Electoral College candidates would spend their time and resources on the majority of nation because that is where most of the votes will come from. Some advocates also argue that the Electoral College helps maintain the federal character of the United States. They argue that the system gives both the people and the states an important role in the electing of a president.
One may say that the Electoral College is beneficial for our country due to the fact that the states have a “winner takes all” system. Forty-five of the states follow this system. This meaning, the winner of the popular
The system gives more electoral votes to states based on population; while this seems as though it would lead to accurate representation the side effect of this is that candidates focus their attention onto these powerful states rather than appealing to the entire country. In the recent election, it was found that Trump and Clinton made higher than 90% of their campaign stops at swing states with two-thirds of these stops occurring in the four states with the most electoral votes (Weber and Fong). These sections have been appropriated labeled battleground states because, without fail, candidates spend large amounts of time in these areas fighting for votes. While the president is meant to concern themselves with the views of the entire nation, the Electoral College encourages candidates to pander to specific states in the hopes of gaining more electoral votes. Despite the facts, some still argue that it is the democratic way to elect a president because it follows the majority
The Electoral College always has its huge impact on the elections and more importantly on the very close elections. Both Republican and Democratic candidates feel at times that if their parties win the popular vote, they win the election, but that is when the electoral votes play their part. The electoral votes are combined by states and the electors in each state abide by the people's voice, but also have a chance
In addition, the Electoral College’s outcome does not demonstrate how a Democratic System should work. Third parties often get discouraged to run for presidency since they are unable to gain any strength do to the way the Electoral College is structured. Voters are often dissuaded to vote on states with a clear favorite, for they feel like their vote would not have an effect. The Electoral College gives power to smaller less populated states, which in turn boosts the electoral strength, thus traditionally favoring the Republican party. An advantage the Electoral College provides is the support of checks and balances as well as deliberation. This relates to the opinion of undermining the other government branches, thus preventing a tyranny. Often many people believe the Electoral College keeps the two-party system in place, and the third parties out of the election. Therefore, it provides our country with stability. The system also allows states to have freedom in designing their own laws regarding voting, thus offering them the ability to effect
Without the Electoral College, elections would be dictated by populous regions, giving those in large metropolitan areas almost all the voting power. The system protects the rights of Americans who live in lower population states such as Wyoming, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. The Electoral College is a key part of federalism because it ensures that the states themselves count in an election.
According to the US Election Atlas, the Electoral College encourages less voter turnout. The Electoral College is a complicated process which gives the voter a notion that their vote does not count and this results in lower voter turnout. Another disadvantage includes the unnecessary attention given to “swing states”. Some States consistently either vote Republican or Democrat but the states where the support for both the democrats and the Republicans is similar are called swing states. States like “Alaska, Utah, Indiana and
Electoral College is a system that was established by the Founding Fathers; they made this to add in the Constitution as a Compromise. This process was created in 1787, however, it is still used today. Although Direct voting involves citizens voting being equal, Electoral college is still more organized and suited for this country. The reasons for this is that it made the republic evolve, and it directs more power to the states. This is why Electoral College is better than Direct voting.
The United States Electoral College had been a contradicting system due to the diversification of America throughout the years. The major issue with this system, however, relies on America’s own national popular vote that contradicts the Electoral College. Many citizens would rather rely on alternatives such as the national popular vote in order to make presidential elections more bearable. All systems conclude of disadvantages and advantages. Ultimately I as well as many people disagree with the Electoral College.
First and foremost, it grants minor states the power they need to make a difference. Instead of a popular vote, the electoral college divides it’s 538 electors amongst states by population. Moreover, to ensure this counter-idea, 3 supplementary votes are awarded to each state. This insures that states like Wyoming or Vermont are not neglected over immenser sates like Texas or California; authorizing there interests and needs to be just as significant. Hans Hassel, a politics professor, once stated the following, “The Electoral College really provides an option for people in states like Iowa to make a difference, and, as an Iowan, I think that’s important.” Likewise, when Raul Labrador was questioned about the efficiency and quality of electoral
When it comes to the electoral college, citizens usually have very contrasting views. The electoral college is the system used to elect the president. The winner of the popular vote in a given state receives all of the electoral votes and the first candidate to reach 270 votes wins the presidency. The electoral college is a very outdated system that goes against the will of Americans, but there are those who express opposing viewpoints.
The Electoral College is the process in which electors vote for the president of the United States.
To begin, one of the major advantages of the Electoral College is it increases the representation of smaller states. For instance, the Electoral College increases representation because the system allocates more