Voting Synthesis Essay

Despite the Electoral College system being founded by the founding fathers in America and being there as long as the Constitution exists, many people still do not have sufficient knowledge on how it works. The Electoral College does not provide honest presidential elections rather it has the potential to undo the will of people at any point from the selection of electors to the vote tallying in Congress (Shaw, 3). Electoral College in the United States has played a major role in depressing the voter's turnout. Every State is given an equal number of electoral votes despite the population and in turn, the system has put in place no measure to encourage the voters to take part in the elections. Besides, the system distorts

America has been acknowledged as being one of the world’s leading democracies, but to continue implementing the use of the Electoral College creates some distortion to that title. The out of date system does not accurately portray democracy. Theoretically, a democracy is government system that is ruled by the people. In reality, an individual’s vote may not matter depending on the state they reside in. Robert Dahl, a Democratic Theorist stated, “every member must have an equal and effective opportunity to vote, and all votes must be counted as equal.” Political equality is important to the distribution of power. Even if a person is wealthy and of power their vote should be counted the same as someone in poverty.

Every time there is an election in the United States, the debate of Electoral College always heats up, and suddenly everybody seems to know about or at least they are interested in learning about it. The Electoral College is firmly established under the United States Constitution to elect the president and the vice president of the United States indirectly. A slate of “electors” are chosen from each state, and they are the ones responsible for voting for president in the general elections depending on which party the candidate is vying with. From this statement, what it means is that one does not choose his or her preferred leader directly and this has made many suggestions that the Electoral College is not a true representation of democracy. This paper will look at the strongest arguments for and against the Electoral College, analyze whether the current Electoral College should be re-engineered or scrapped in favor of direct vote and finally determine if the Electoral College is consistent or contrary to democratic principle.

Is it possible that the heart of the election process hurt the principles of democracy more than it helps? The Electoral College has existed since the time of the Founding Fathers leading many to believe it is a crucial aspect of the election process meant to protect the ideals of democracy. In truth, this system has largely hindered the possibility of a representative government. Thus, the Electoral College is archaic and anti-democratic, supporting unfair election practices such as underrepresentation and must be abolished.

Citizens might vote for the president however they don’t truly get to choose who wins. The system thinks that people cannot choose the president so they need a group of elite specialist to choose one for them. This clearly proves that we don’t even have to opportunity to be in the process in choosing our own president. Before hearing about this during the discussions in class, I did not know about how the Electoral College worked and it was very disappointing to see how it actually worked. It’s not true democracy without letting your citizens know how the system actually works and it’s astonishing to see the reality of it. For example, Plato’s tale on “The Allegory of the Cave”, the shadow of the cave symbolizes how people can have a sense of what is happening but they can’t truly see what is happening behind the doors. We think that we are looking at reality and when we finally see what is happening, it will

The Electoral College, a hot topic these days, is subject to both criticism and defense. To understand why either side is valid we must look at its values and its weaknesses, its pros and cons. In defense of the Electoral College we can see that it in its roots the Electoral College was devised to dole out the power of selecting our executives geographically, and to give otherwise marginalized portions of the U.S. population a voice. Adversely the Electoral College can be seen as an obstruction to democracy and the will of the people. Whether or not the Electoral College serves the best interest of all the people in United States is up to debate. Whether or not the Electoral College serves the best interests of all the people in United States is up to debate, and this paper functions to expose what validities either argument may include.

Throughout the past presidential election, and many others, the ideal of electing the president by popular vote has been at an all-time high conversation topic compared to previous years. While many argue that the Electoral College defeats the purpose of voting, and diminishes the majority’s voice, this is certainly not the case. Without the Electoral College, elections would quickly become, and encourage, radical and corrupt ways in their voting systems, that could possibly result in a detrimental nationwide political crisis of voter fraud, and a rise to direct democracy.

In addition, proponents of the Electoral College ground their objections in the Republican tradition alongside the American government system. In this view, defenders contend that the Bill of Rights, judicial review, and the executive veto introduce numerous complexities. Therefore, suppose any prudish lucidity is to become the standard approach of deciding the things that should remain and those that requires simplification in American government, then nothing would remain. As Diamond argues, very few Americans have shown interest in politics and the overall knowledge of an average voter is partial (218). Taken together, the idea that voters are unknowledgeable led to the present condition of understanding the Electoral College, as many people misconstrue its dealings. In a different line of defense, proponents of Electoral College argue that it contributes to the political stability of the country. In detail, the College encourages a two-party system while depressing propagation of fragment parties like those seen in many European

Many people in the U.S. today feel as though the Electoral College is not needed, and is in fact doing more harm than good in our country. Clifton B. Parker, a writer for the Stanford News Service at Stanford University, is one such person. In his article, Now We Know Why It’s Time to Dump the Electoral College, he illustrates the cons of this institution by stating that it “distorts campaigns, disenfranchises voters, and drives partisanship.” In short, this can make it impossible for American’s to exercise their electoral voice.

The Electoral College has become ineffective in the twenty-first century due to the advancement in technology and the progression in public education, allowing one to formulate a cultured opinion in today’s politics. Nevertheless, the decision to do so will positively affect the citizens and government relations; therefore, will cause America to become more democratic, improved country. However, if it is not abolished soon more elections, like 2000 and 2016, will occur, thus, an increased amount of distrust between the people and the government. Nevertheless, Americans are already divided and will result in new, larger problems in the future if the country’s leader is unable to bring his or her people together. Therefore, Electoral College is only causing problems in America’s democratic process rather than solutions that will only escalate from today

I have thought for some time now that there must a better model with which we can replace the Electoral College. I can understand the Founding Fathers’ skepticism in instituting a direct democracy, as that could take a dangerous and overpowering turn in a still-developing country. I am among those who author

many Americans still have a misunderstanding of the process of the electoral system and its flaws. Striking defects include smaller states having an advantage over larger states and there being a basis of a winner takes all system. The United States should not have an Electoral College, but It would be exceptionally difficult to completely eradicate the electoral system, considering it would require a constitutional amendment ratified by 3/4 of the states. However, we should work to at least modify it.

After reading the article, “The dumbing down of voters,” by Rick Shenkman, I was first shocked by his claim that public has an immense lack of knowledge concerning politics. But the more I thought about the claim the more I realised the truth about the statement. Many people in the United States are oblivious to what the government is doing and who is a part of the government. The lack of knowledge from the public is also unsettling because if the public doesn’t know basic knowledge like what are the three branches of government, then the country could take a turn for the worst. Voters are also giving out their votes to presidential candidates that local newspapers focus on because they either are too lazy or ignorant to think for themselves

As stated previously, there is quite a low number of U.S. voters showing up to the polls, which damages the efficiency of the American democracy. United States was ranked 31st out 35 countries for number of voter turnout this last August. The last several decades of data shows only 53 percent of eligible voters showing up for U.S. presidential elections, compared to Belgium’s 87 percent or Turkey’s 84 percent voter turnout. The problem with small voter turnout is summed up by this quote “our legislature is a reflection of our voters, but our voters are not a reflection of our citizens.”

Less than 50% of eligible voters will turn out to vote at national elections, and at the local elections there are less than 25%. There is a correlation between voting behavior and the demographic of those voting.