Electoral College Should it stay or should it

Electoral College Should it stay or should it go?

Why this headline is meaningless

Electoral College Map

Origins • Founders were afraid of too much democracy. • Created a system that put “wise” people between the voters and the president.

How it works • Each state has a number of electors equal to its number of reps in the House and the Senate. • There a total of 538. • 270 are needed to win the presidency.

Electors • Prominent members of political parties. • There are two sets in each state. The winner gets to vote for president. • On the Monday following the second Wednesday in December, the electors of each state meet in their respective state capitals to officially cast their votes for president and vice president.

Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the electoral college • • 1824 John Quincy Adams 1876 Rutherford Hayes 1888 Benjamin Harris 2000 George Bush

Arguments Against the Electoral College Those who object to the Electoral College system and favor a direct popular election of the president generally do so on four grounds: the possibility of electing a minority president the risk of so-called "faithless" Electors, the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing voter turnout, and its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will.

Arguments for the Electoral College it contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president enhances the status of minority interests, contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two -party system.

Opportunities for reform: • Eliminate winner take all. Nebraska: by district • Force electors to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their district or state. • Direct election • Tie the outcome of the popular vote to the electoral college.

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Claim: The Founders had no idea what they were doing. • Data: They didn’t distinguish between President and VP. They didn’t account for political parties. The 12 th amendment had to fix this mistake. • Data: No other country has ever adapted this system. • Data: The Founders assumed no candidate would be able to reach all voters, mass media proved them wrong.

Warrant • The Electoral College is outdated. The Founders failed to anticipate problems with the system they created, as well as changes in technology. The Electoral College should be replaced with a more modern system.

Claim: The Electoral College works. • Data: The E. C. is designed to produce clear winners. • Data: The E. C. represents minority interests and forces candidates to visit small states. • Data: There have been hundreds of attempts to change the E. C. and they have failed.

Warrant • No system is perfect, but the EC has served us well, and the alternative is not better. The EC holds the country together by allowing small states to have an important role in the election of the president.