preview

Electoral College Essay

Decent Essays

The Electoral College has been around since the Constitution was first written and has been controversial ever since it was started. The process of electing a president includes the Electoral College, which has a rich and interesting history; there are many arguments for and against the College, but the way the Electoral College works now is not representative of the country’s opinion as a whole. The Electoral College is the way the United States chooses a president and it has a rich and interesting history. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, who are selected by the political parties in each state and voted for in the general election. “When the voters in each state cast votes for the Presidential candidate of their choice, …show more content…

The Electoral elects the President of the United States through a complicated process that has not changed much throughout the 200 years it has been around. There are many advantages of the Electoral College. First, the existence of the Electoral College allows states with a smaller population to have a larger role in the general election. For example, Wyoming does not have enough people in the state to significantly influence an election. However, because it has 3 electoral votes, it can play a role in candidate’s campaigns. “Without the Electoral College, issues pertinent to Wyomans would not likely make it to the national conversation during presidential campaign season” (Wilcox). In 2012, Republican nominees focused on the issue of military bases to gain the electoral votes from South Carolina and Florida (Wilcox). Without the Electoral College, the nominees may have never learned and advocated for that and many more issues. Next, the Electoral College allows for a two-party system. Third-party candidates can only gain the electoral votes from a state if they win the plurality of votes from that state. This is very unlikely because third-parties do not receive the funding and media attention that Republicans or democrats receive. This is positive because it creates more stability in the United States government and citizens are not overwhelmed by all of the parties and their issues. Also, the small

Get Access