The 2016 presidential election has sparked an unprecedented interest in the Electoral College. And if you have a campaign that is forced to pay attention to everyone in the country and has to treat every vote as equally important, which is what a popular vote election would be, this would solve these problems and it would be more fair to the country as a whole. When we were kids on the playground and an angry dispute ensued, someone would always shout "majority rules." And we'd vote. The Electoral College was established by the framers of the Constitution as a last-minute deal, a gift to Southern states trying to protect slaveholders power and leverage the three-fifths compromise. Why should the Electoral College be abolished? Illing: What would you say is the biggest myth or misconception about the Electoral College? In presidential elections, the voters actually vote for a slate of Electors who have vowed to cast their ballots for their preferred President/Vice President ticket. Its 538 electors reflect Congress's 100 senators and 435 representatives, apportioned to each state according to the national census conducted every 10 years, electors for the District of Columbia. In fact, he maintains without any proof -- that the election was rigged, while making an all-out effort to deny the will of the electorate. Mission: Providing a framework to improve your investing PROCESS, while collecting newsworthy information about trends in business, politics and tech areas. The Electoral College was and continues to be an undemocratic system that stands as an obstacle for the United States to become a real democracy. Past proposals for change by constitutional amendment have included various reform options and direct popular election, which would eliminate the Electoral College system, but no substantive action on this issue, has been taken in Congress for more than 20 years. The use of the Electoral College system to determine the results of the 2016 Presidential Election has divided our nation. He is now a vice president at the Aspen Institute and a senior fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center. Lets briefly review what happened in 2000 during Bush vs. Gore. When Americans vote for a President and Vice President, they are actually choosing presidential electors, known collectively as the Electoral College. We won't send you spam. 1145 Words | 5 Pages. The College is the main reason that Duvergers Law, which postulates that majoritarian voting systems produce a two-party polity, works only in the United States.[12]. Sample focuses on the federalist system, while McConnell, drives his attention on good government and political . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Mr. Bidens opponents soon abandoned their campaigns. We must abolish the electoral college and replace it with the national popular vote. Gates Capital Management's ECF Value Funds have a fantastic track record. Albert Einstein. But we need bipartisan support in Congress, a constitutional amendment, and a majority of the states to agree. Both McConnell and Sample believe that the Electoral College is significant because it makes sure that the states count in presidential elections. Since 1964 the has been 538 electors in . Only Nebraska and Maine allocate the electoral votes proportionately. 1830 State of the Union Address In 1830, Jackson returned to the Electoral College and repeated his request to Congress. This article tries to answer the question of whether or not a popular vote would be better able to represent the will of the people more accurately and fairly. Interestingly, the electoral vote totals of Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016 were identical - 306. Should Electoral College Be Abolished. A national popular election in 2020 would have made our problems immeasurably worse. - Albert Einstein. Newsela Answer Key: PRO/CON: Should we abolish the Electoral College? Out of these concerns came the decision that the president would be elected indirectly. Should U.S. Supreme Court Justices Have Term Limits? These issues still affect out modern day political sphere. It's electors who decide elections, and there is a . (04.06 MC) The President of the United States cannot stand above the battle engaging in vague little sermons on brotherhood. In fact, the problems it would cause became quite evident as early as the election of 1800, and were repeated in 1824 and 1876. However, technology has made it so that the information . . Now the Electoral College benefits the Republican Party almost exclusively. Is Iran ready to build a nuclear bomb or not? Are the people smart enough to choose their own leader? Get updates on the latest posts and more from ValueWalk straight to your inbox. Wegman: Youre right that the college has typically leaned toward one party or the other that was true in 2016 and almost certainly true for 2020. That is how it works in every state election. THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. In 2020, the Electoral College began showing its stuff in March, when Joe Biden, who had done poorly in early primaries, suddenly emerged from a pack of far more vivid candidates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee. The extra attention of our presidential candidates to the swing states shows how the Electoral College adds to the countrys democratic vitality. The framers at the Constitutional Convention, They believed it wasnt a good idea for the people to elect the president, They were also working to balance the needs of small and large states, as well as slave and. jo.type = 'text/javascript'; Trump won the presidential election despite losing the popular election by more than two million votes. Seventy percent of Americans between the ages of 18-29 said that the president should be chosen through a popular vote model, while just 56 percent of those over the age of 65 agreed. And because states want to maximize their influence in selecting the president, they also have a strong incentive to use a winner-take-all approach to awarding electors, which all but two states currently do. But Trumps ushering in of an ultraconservative minority-rule presidency, and the threat that he would do it again in 2024, has established Electoral College reform as a serious progressive issueespecially following the Capitol Hill insurrection., The Electoral College Saved the Election [By Christopher DeMuth; January 8, 2021][10]. At 100 signatures, this petition is more likely to be featured in recommendations! If you use part of this page in your own work, you need to provide a citation, as follows: Essay Sauce, Should we abolish the Electoral College?. Moreover, Thomas Neale article depicts the procedure of awarding each states electoral votes. This created situations where rivals could occupy those posts. It removes a potential for disaster in presidential elections. Mya Sims Ms. Most states however use oaths and penalties to bind them. ValueWalk also contains archives of famous investors, and features many investor resource pages. It was also a savvy compromise. The main complaints against the Electoral College are that it can elect someone who didnt win the nationwide popular vote and that it causes candidates to campaign heavily in battleground states while ignoring those they think they are certain to carry or not. Its as simple as that! Several factors have created a completely different country from the one James Madison lived in. Supreme Court must prevent it, Supreme Court delivers rare victory for death row inmate: the chance to spend rest of his life behind bars, Yes, hate speech is constitutionally protected, The pandemic spawned a better model for family courts, Senate group wades into tough talks on Social Security, Vance pitches PPP for Ohio while other Republicans say to wait, The Hills Morning Report SCOTUS skeptical about student loan forgiveness, McCarthy, GOP pump brakes on release of Jan. 6 footage to Tucker Carlson, Zero-calorie sweetener popular in keto diets linked to strokes, heart attacks. It was devised during the framing of the Constitution in order to provide a method of indirect election for the Office of President. Start by abolishing the Electoral College. EssaySauce.com is a completely free resource for students. But do they really? a. Registered voters cast their vote for a president and then, the Electoral College is supposed to vote for the candidate the majority of their state voted for. Gomez explains that the National Popular Vote Compact is supported by many politicians including Senator Joseph A. Griffo, Newt Gingrich, and Billy Hewes of Mississippi. Is the Electoral College plan fair? Steve Slavin - Nov 23, 2020, 2:52 pm. It's time to ditch the antiquated way we choose presidents. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The alternative systems are the district plan and the proportional plan. Almost all states rely on a "winner takes all" system in which every party in each state creates a slate of electors equal to the number of Electoral College votes the state has. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of fairness of the Electoral College system. All our essays are uploaded by volunteers. Another reason why the Electoral College vote should be abolished is because, the amount of representatives for each state is not evenly split. The funds (full-name Excess Cash Flow Value Funds), which invest in an event-driven equity and credit strategy, have produced a 12.6% annualised return over the past 26 years. Lewis is saying that the "playing field" is not equal when it comes to the vote. Thanks to Donald Trump, what was once the relic of our system is now an active threat to the future of our democracy. var r = Math.floor(Math.random() * (9999 - 0 + 1) + 0); Each registered voter gets just one vote. Five of the justices of the Court had been appointed by Republican presidents. Democrat Hillary Clinton got over 2 million 800 thousand more votes than Republican Donald T Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The electoral college is a group of people chosen by every state who officially elects the president and vice president of the united states. Dan Glickman served as agriculture secretary under President Clinton and represented Kansas as a member of Congress. When every ballot is counted in the same way, then the winner becomes easier to declare. Having a majority determine the winner of our presidential elections can moderate both parties considerably. Please sign this petition to pressure the government to change the process of our presidential election to a popular vote. The United States, Presidential elections provide a level of legitimacy to each new administration by following the will of the people (Clayton 2007; Koza 2016). Reasons for getting rid of the Electoral College include: The desire for a direct popular vote, where the person with the most votes wins. The Electoral College is a terrible system designed for electing the president of the United States. They devised a method to elect a president that would ensure that the person elected would not gain too much power and independence. Without the College, a candidate could win the Presidency by focusing on just a few large states, or by making populist promises harmful to Americas federalism. Abolish The Electoral College And Replace It With National Popular Vote, Please speak to a licensed financial professional, DAX Index is back above its 200-day average after surging, Palo Alto Networks On Track For 52-Week High. The resolution cleared the House 338 to 70, but failed to pass the Senate.[2]. Twitter launches Violent Speech Policy with zero tolerance for severe Watch live: White House monkeypox response team holds briefing, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It cant solve our problems on its own, but has given us a measure of stability to try for ourselves. Disputed results from the 2020 presidential . The proposal was drawn by James Madison, and it drew on ideas first proposed by James Wilson, the chief proponent of a directly elected chief executive. Established in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College is the formal body which elects the President and Vice President. It is beyond dispute that our system to elect presidents is no longer working. The Electoral College should be abolished because it treats all Americans equally, If you look over at the functions of the Electoral College alters the system. State electoral vote results are reported to Congress and other designated authorities; they are then counted and declared at a joint session of Congress held on January 6 of the year after the election; Congress may, however, change this date by joint resolution. Now, Republicans will have a 222-213 majority once Rep.-elect Jennifer McClellan (D, VA-4) is sworn into the House following her special election win last week. Will closed his piece by saying what I called a catastrophe can generate moderate mandates for parties that seek a broad consensus.. TheDigitalArtist / Pixabay. The brightest students know that the best way to learn is by example! DBQ packet, 1(Multiple Choice Worth 4 points) (04.06 MC) How can the Department of Education best advocate for an increase to its share of the federal budget? When the Electoral College was almost abolished? I have argued for decades that we need to get rid of the Electoral College. Many were anxious even for an immediate choice by the people.[13], The plan was met with a great sense of relief and passed 8 to 3. The Electoral College Should Be Abolished - Free Essay Example 24. juuli 2020 . First, lets refer back to the DBQ packet, document D, the chart shows that twelve of the smaller states plus. Candidates would need to travel everywhere instead of only to a handful of swing states that currently enjoy this attention. The bipartisan bill is designed to close loopholes that could lead to another Jan. 6-type incident that disrupts the electoral count process. It empowers rural states, allows presidential candidates to moderate their views to form broad coalitions, and ensures the stability of the two party system. This hour, we look at the Electoral College, its history . Laura Thompson wrote, The case against the Electoral College is straightforward: Because states are allocated electors based on the size of their congressional delegations, those with smaller populations have an outsize influence on presidential elections. The demand to abolish the electoral college in favor of a one-man-one-vote nationwide election is au courant but misbegotten. Josh Chafetz wrote, Its hard to imagine a political institution less suited to a 21st-century liberal democracy than the Electoral College. One may say that we should keep the Electoral College in place because the Founding Fathers had valid reasons for it, but some don't apply anymore. [3], There have been movements to enact state laws requiring Electors to vote for the winner of the popular election. In like manner, Thomas Neale also conveys the detail of how the electors are chosen and the electoral votes are established for each state. (function () { Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. But in 2020, when many hallowed American institutions submitted to street demonstrations and violence, the Electoral College proved a steadfast guardian of democracy. Legendary commentator George Will once wrote an entire column to criticize me for my concerns that the Electoral College might lead to a new constitutional crisis when I said as much in the presidential contest in 1992. While a majority of Republicans (56%) continue to say the current Electoral College system should be maintained, the share who now express support for moving to a popular vote system is the highest it's been since the 2016 election: 42% say this today, up from 37% in 2021 and just 27% in the immediate wake of the 2016 election. })(); ValueWalk.com is a highly regarded, non-partisan site the website provides unique coverage on hedge funds, large asset managers, and value investing. The immense moral authority of the White House must be used to. Through a presidential executive order Through an, 11. At that time, 80% of Americans supported abolishing the Electoral College, and an amendment to do so passed the House 339-70, only to be killed in the Senate through a filibuster coordinated by. The framers biggest fear was the fear of power, and they did their upmost to limit and control the control and limit the power of . Trump proved in 2016 that you could secure the presidential election by hurling contempt at our cities and blue states, mocking urban ethnic and racial diversity, dividing the country, and losing the popular vote. Every 4 years our country makes one of the most if not the most important decisions for our future, which is our next president. If 60,000 votes went the other way in Ohio, George W. Bush would have won the national popular vote by 3 million votes, but John Kerry wouldve been elected. I am a fan of rural Americans and remain devoted to the success of our farmers and heartland. It frequently bestows a broad-based majority mandate on a candidate who has won only a plurality of the national popular vote, which is particularly important in messy elections with three or more candidates. It's time to ditch the antiquated. The January 6 committee could have called on Congress to begin the process of amending the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College, while at the same time recognizing the difficulties . What It Would (Really) Take to Abolish the Electoral College Ryan Bort March 19, 2019, 5:04 PM In 2016, Americans cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton by a margin of close to three million. 1 The state with the most electors is California, which has fifty-five. Much like the rest of the Constitution, the Electoral College was a compromise. On the other side of the debate are those who would keep the Electoral college in place. Why is that a big deal? should the electoral college be abolished answer key demomail@gmail.com. They view the Popular vote as a way to lessen the power of the people in rural areas, and make the focus of elections and political campaigns centered around the urban and city regions of each state. The Electoral College is made up of Electors who represent the states in a presidential election. The Electoral College consists of electors, and an absolute majority of votes is needed for a candidate to win the election. "Yes, let's abolish the electoral college," he told the crowd at the We the People Membership Summit in March. The political party who's slate gets the most votes then controls all of the state's Electoral College votes. Find out what to do if this happens here. A simple, popular election would produce a majoritarian winner, but the College allows the people of every state a direct say in the Executive branch. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 4. The method was ultimately settled in the last days by the 11-member Brearly Committee, which proposed election by special Electors chosen by the state legislatures. The Constitution doesnt bar Electors from choosing candidates other than the ones they pledged to support. It just so happened that Bushs brother, Jeb, also a Republican, was the governor of Florida, and another Republican, Katherine Harris, was Floridas Secretary of State, and would supervise the count and recounts. Clinton, who clearly despised Trump, graciously conceded the election on Election Night. SEPTEMBER 15, 2020. My stance to abolish the Electoral College has drawn some ire. The idea was to divvy up the electoral votes of the nation's . Younger voters also tended to support abolishing the Electoral College. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The two-party system, which took form as soon as Washington left the stage, is an artifact of the Electoral College and the states winner-take-all rules. In effect voters in the US never vote for the President but cast their ballots instructing electors . We respect your privacy. Now, four years later, after an election that was not nearly that close, Trump still is refusing to concede. Albert Gore accepted the result, even though he had won the popular vote by 540,000. I am not alone in holding this perspective. method is known as the Electoral College. Clearly, whoever won Floridas 25 electoral votes would win the election. Instead, the delegates settled on a system involving an Electoral College. For starters, direct elections by voters can create incentives for broad public participation. She also states that a Popular Vote would cause certain states and highly populated regions to have an unfair advantage in representation over the more rural areas in the presidential election. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Republicans won the 2004 election, but the Electoral College actually gave the Democrats a boost. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. (4 points) Libertarian Conservative A) No regulation Moderate regulation B) Government management of the, 5. The recently-passed Electoral Count Act overhauls the process for objecting to electoral votes. Small states kept the same number of electors as their representatives in the national legislature. In fact, if given the choice of either accepting his loss or preserving our democracy, which outcome would Trump choose? It Disincentivizes Voting The majority of Americans do not live in swing states, they live in states that are safely either Democratic or Republican. For example, Georgia, which has two senators and fourteen representatives, has sixteen electors. including in the 2000 and 2016 elections. Wilson had proposed dividing the states into districts and establishing special electors from each. The electors cast separate ballots for President and Vice President, after which the Electoral College ceases to exist until the next presidential election. 69.163.234.236 The National Popular Vote Compact is used in many states including New Jersey, Washington, and Massachusetts. D - It is Unfair In document F it says that if there is a tie in the Electoral college it is up to the House of Representatives to decide who is president. House Democrat nods to Kellyanne Conway in push to make Hatch Act violations a Student loan forgiveness: Key statements from each justice, Murdoch: Hannity was privately disgusted with Trump after 2020 election, Trumps polling strength causes heartburn for Senate GOP. The closest Congress has come to amending the Electoral College since 1804 was in the late 1960s when the House passed a resolution eliminating the College altogether and replacing it with direct election and a runoff election if no candidate received more than 40% of the vote. Further, he has enacted in office not the modest policies of a man without a true national mandate but has fueled our partisan warfare. Performance & security by Cloudflare. I respect Will as an astute observer of politics. Between 1800 and today, the number of constitutional amendments introduced into Congress to significantly alter or abolish the Electoral College totals somewhere close to a thousand. If 60,000 votes went the other way in Ohio, George W. Bush would have won the national popular. [4] There are proposals to enlarge the Electoral College to more closely reflect each states population. Four were appointed by Democratic presidents. On election night just like this year the election was too close to call. Wilson said it was a valuable improvement. It gets rid of one great evil, that of cabal and corruption; and Continental characters will multiply as we more and more coalesce, so as to enable the electors in every part of the Union to know and judge of them. Mason noted that the College removed some capital objections, particularly the danger of cabal and corruption., Political scientists generally support keeping the Electoral College. * This essay may have been previously published on Essay.uk.com at an earlier date. The Electoral College voting system goes against republicanism as it contradicts the belief that citizens have the ability to directly choose their leaders. Its appointed every four years for this sole purpose by state legislatures, and consists of Electors in a number equal to each states congressional delegation (Representatives and Senators). Shortly after, former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. introduced his H.J.Res. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. They are expected, but not constitutionally bound, to vote for the candidates they represent. Your IP: For example, they created the Electoral College because news traveled slowly, so people weren't . The crisis of 1824 then, represented really the collapse of the old system, and an effort to re-institute it in other terms. 1956: Hubert Humphrey's (D-MN) S. J. They have long provided what may be, Which of these correctly compares the libertarian and conservative ideals of a model economy? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Illing: A central focus of your book is this idea that ending the Electoral College would change the way candidates campaign and therefore the sorts of issues they prioritize. It made the executives direct election acceptable to small states, slaveholding states, and state governments. jo.src = 'https://www.financialjuice.com/widgets/voice-player.js?mode=inline&display=1&container=FJ-voice-news-player&info=valuewalk&r=' + r; This not only brings federal attention to each state, but provides a fillip to Americas diversity. Although he has virtually no chance of succeeding, he could not care less that he was subverting our democratic form of government. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The Founding Fathers knew that there needed to be a system like an electoral college in place to ensure the USA flourishes. Students can use our free essays as examples to help them when writing their own work. Two Presidential elections (1800 and 1824) have been decided in the House. However, despite its faults, as a system is has a foundation conducive to reform rather than abolition. In fact, the election of 2020 still isnt over even though Joe Biden received more than six million votes than Donald Trump, as well as 72 more electoral votes. If it didnt exist, no one today would consider creating it. It empowers rural states, allows presidential candidates to moderate their views to form broad. 2011-2023 VALUEWALK LLC. Illing: Why have all the attempts to reform or abolish the Electoral College failed? Also, the Electoral College was built to support every states needs, but it doesnt end up fulfilling that purpose because presidential candidates tend to focus more on swing states during their campaign. Last week, we released our initial House ratings for 2024. If the Electoral College doesnt produce a majority winner, the election of the president goes to the House of Representatives where each state casts a single vote. The Electoral College is unfair and should be . [15], [1] https://history.house.gov/Institution/Electoral-College/Electoral-College/, [2] https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Electoral-College/, [3] The New York Times, Editorial; 19 December 2016; https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/opinion/time-to-end-the-electoral-college.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article. Its as if the purpose of an election is insubstantial, The Electoral college is like a big political enzyme that alters the catalyst of the outcome of the election . Let's get to 100! Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. (Neale 2 CRS) Basically, Neale is saying the Electoral College provides additional leverage to states that have a smaller population. The Electoral College has 538 electors; each state has a set number of electors equivalent to its two US senators plus its number of US congressional house representatives. They were also working to balance the needs of small and large states, as well as slave and free states.
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