Electoral
College
The
Electoral College is a political system used in the United States to elect the
president. The system has been applied for more than two centuries and is one
of the most symbolic political structures in the America. Electoral College
determines the individual to represent
the Americans as a president. It utilizes a winner-take-all technique, thus
complicating the election process. Resultantly, the system minimizes a chance
of third party existence, even though America is a democratic state. While
there are benefits of the Electoral College, demerits exist for this unfair
system because it lowers public opinion.
The American citizens do not elect a president by a
popular vote. Instead, the Electoral College is responsible for the selection
of a leader not necessarily a preferable candidate by the majority of voters. For
instance in the year 2000, Al Gore was an outright winner by popular vote, but
electoral votes propelled G.W. Bush into the White House (Muller, 2011). The
Electoral College was set up by the
founding fathers to maintain representative governance because each state has a
proportional membership as per the representation in the Senate and House.
Advantages
of Electoral College
There
are numerous advantages for the existence
of Electoral College in the United States. First, the system protects the
interests of minority populations. It preserves the voice of smaller rural
states whose populations are less. Urban areas in America are overpopulated,
but Electoral College takes care of the needs farmers in Midwest and sparsely
populated states. Secondly, the system facilitates a two-party order,
encouraging stability between Republicans and Democrats. The lesser the number
of political parties, the more generalized the political platforms. Consequently,
the policies being discussed by individual parties are representative of the
overall image of the union, instead of focusing issues that can lead to
contrasting views and sharp political divisions.
Furthermore,
the system of Electoral College is specifically designed to direct more
political power to the states. All the states have the power to choose
delegates for admission at the Electoral College. In turn, such representatives
can participate directly in the process to select the president.
Disadvantages
of Electoral College
There
are several disadvantages of Electoral College, especially in a democratic
society. First, a presidential contender favoured by the majority of
electorates is not guaranteed of securing the presidency. The reason for this
is that some relatively smaller states hold a significant percentage of
Electoral College votes when compared to their proportional percentage
population in the US. The disparity is
hard to rectify because the constitution dictates that the minimum tally of
Electoral College votes are three for a state. Critics consider this as
undemocratic, hence sustaining a debate for ratification of the Electoral
College system.
Furthermore,
Electoral College dissuades people from voting and is complicated. The popular
vote relies on the principle of simple majority. On the other hand, Electoral
College redistributes votes after a decade due to changes in population. Given
the numerous steps involved, the voters prefer to refrain from voting. Lastly,
the swing states such as California and
smaller states like Wyoming are powerful in the determination
of the fate of presidential candidates (Muller, 2012).
In
summary, it is clear that the cons for Electoral College outweigh the pros as
the system was designed more than two centuries ago. The policy makers should
reconsider it to give the citizens more power to choose their leader and to
encourage them to participate in the voting process. Otherwise, the American democratic
system is at a risk of collapse.
References
Hasen, R. L. (2011). When'Legislature'May Mean
More than'Legislature': Initiated Electoral College Reform and the Ghost of
Bush v. Gore. Hastings Constitutional
Law Quarterly, 2007-48.
Muller, D. T. (2012). Invisible Federalism and
the Electoral College. Ariz.
St. LJ, 44, 1237.
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