Unlike the rest of us, bennett tries to anticipate problems and solve them before they become severe. Most people appear to believe that the electoral college favours voters in. The electoral college is unfair, stupid and dangerous. By dummy for dummies so wtf exactly is this electoral college i speak of. Democrats in louisiana arent as motivated to go to the polls when they know the. The electoral college is pointless and unfair, and has been that way for 200 years one word. Our experts proofread and edit your project with a detailed eye essay hook about electoral college and with complete knowledge of all writing and style conventions. It was devised by the framers of the united states constitution to provide a method of election that was feasible, desirable, and consistent with a republican form of government. The electoral college system, long a source of controversy, came under especially heavy criticism after the 2016 presidential election when republican donald trump lost the nationwide popular vote to democrat hillary clinton by over 2. Most people appear to believe that the electoral college favours voters in less populous states, since each state gets an extra two electors. Now is the time to support a serious, independent, left candidate for presidential in 2016 says a statement from her campaign. Without the electoral college, a huge popular margin in one state like california or texas could decide the entire election.
All of which is strange because the electoral college is at the core of our system of federalism. In a new oped for the new york times, hes changed his tune. In time, author michael signer tells us that the electoral college was primarily. Democrats must follow the football team owner al daviss maxim. In 2000 and 2016, the candidate who won the popular vote did not win the electoral college. Trumps electoral college victory was sealed by popular vote wins in the perennial swing states of florida, iowa, and ohio, as well as in the socalled blue wall states of michigan, pennsylvania, and wisconsin, all democratic strongholds in presidential elections since the 1990s. The electoral college still makes sense because were not.
In defense of the electoral college national affairs. The electoral college process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for president and vice. But we should be clear about its disreputable origins. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled in the congress. Some delegates at the 1787 constitutional convention wanted congress to choose the president while others preferred a democratic popular vote. At the federal level, this problem could be greatly alleviated by abolishing the electoral college system. A quick read presenting a compelling case for the constitutional electoral college. Basically, this is the electoral college, by dummies, for dummies. The electoral college still makes sense because were not a democracy what appears to deprive the populace of its power to decide a president is the very mechanism that preserves its power. The electoral college has each state vote as a block based on the number of representatives and senators they have. Opinion a case for the electoral college the new york. The electoral college in its original form was admirable. The author assumes his reader has some knowledge of the basic function of this institution before reading the book so it may be helpful to overview the system before diving in.
Jesse wegmans book let the people pick the president argues the. Every four years on the first tuesday following the first monday of november, voters head to the polls to elect the president of the united states. The constitution, in article 2, section 1, provides. Elizabeth warren wants to abolish the electoral college. Its the winnertakeall mathematics from state to state that delivers so much power to a. Anthony lukas book prize in the wake of donald trumps victory in the 2016 presidential election. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Discussing the demerits of the electoral college is pointless. No, the electoral college was not created to protect. The electoral college is a body of electors established by the united states constitution, which forms every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the united states. Well, if we know dems, we know theyre going to use every dirty trick in the book to make the electoral college seem like the worst thing since lynching which dems invented. In the eyes of many conservatives, we were witnessing the rise of the stupid.
The importance of the electoral college by george grant. In defense of the electoral college the washington post. Volume 4, issue 3 should the electoral college count. For the second time in as many decades, a constitutional appendix has foiled the will of the majority of us voters. Why does voting in a us presidential election feel at the same time both. During this time, slavery was legal, women couldnt vote and muskets or flintlock pistols were the deadly assault rifles second amendment enthusiasts often forget about. For all of these reasons, it may be attractive to replace our current process with another system of indirect election that simply changes the makeup of the electoral college. The electoral college is a constitutional process established by the founding fathers to elect the president and vice president of the united states. There is hardly anything in the constitution harder to explain, or easier to misunderstand, than the electoral college.
The degree to which the electoral college is both unfair and dangerous is not fully understood by many americans, mainly because it is only in the spotlight for a few weeks every four years. Most democrats who make this claim, like cohen and inevitably aoc. Electoral college, the system by which the president and vice president of the united states are chosen. Why every defense of the electoral college is wrong. The electoral college is not working the washington post. Some argue that the electoral college should be dumped as a useless relic of. The reasons for the electoral college are unclear to most people. It also explains why a candidate can win the popular vote but not actually win the election, which is what happened in the 2016 presidential election. If abolishing the electoral college or signing on to the national popular vote compact does not appeal to some, there is a third way to move closer to vote equality. This election result is sometimes referred to, particularly by proponents of electoral college reform, as a wrong. The electoral college keeps high population states and regions from deciding the presidency. Former attorney general eric holder is among the latest highprofile democrats to. The electoral college wasnt meant to overturn elections the.
It may have been a while since you took a history class and need a refresher on what the electoral college is, so teded does the best fiveminute video. The notion that the electoral college was designed to perpetuate slavery is nonsense. The republican and democratic primaries are raging on, but jill stein could care less. Here are some additional advantages and disadvantages of the electoral college to consider. Suppose you are one of the proverbial voters who vote their pocketbooks. To get rid of the electoral college, a change would have to be made to the constitution. Trump won the electoral college and is now the 45th president of the united states. That fact alone doesnt mean it ought to be scrapped. Im going to try to break it down for you in this piece. The american people cast their ballots on a tuesday in early november, but on a national level that vote is legally meaningless.
The push to abolish the electoral college is picking up steam as democrats turn their attention to the 2020. And when a presidential election hands the palm to a candidate who comes in second in the popular vote but first in the electoral college tally, something deep in. Americas founders wisely considered many different aspects of democratic election including the preservation of minority rights i. They meticulously scan the cvs of all the candidates, read their books and. So here are 5 reasons we actually need the electoral college. They do it every time they dont get what they want. The highly debated electoral college has been around since 1787. It makes it possible for close elections to yield a president supported by a minority of. Why we should abolish the electoral college the new york. The electoral college was established in article ii, section i, of the united states constitution, and was later modified by the twelfth and twentythird amendments, which clarified the process. How it works in contemporary presidential elections congressional research service 2 of this eventuality, which occurred previously in 1876, 1888, and 2000. List of books and articles about electoral college. It gives a little extra power to small states that would otherwise be completely overlooked by presidential candidates.
Instead the electoral college really just does one big thing that a popularvote system wouldnt do. But the electoral college is worse than merely useless. Since the 2016 presidential election, the role of the electoral college has been called into question by many voters. Answers will vary based on where the student lives. I used to favor amending the electoral college, in part because i believed the framers put it into the constitution to protect slavery. Your turn to count page 102 and the winner is burns. It also explains why a candidate can win the popular vote but not actually win the election.
When americans vote for president and vice president of the united states, they are actually voting for presidential electors, known collectively as the electoral college. Why we should abolish the electoral college the new york times. In the electoral college count, however, bush tallied 271 electors to gores 266. This has been going on in every presidential election for my entire life, and im sick and tired of it.
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