Electoral College DBQ

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In the United States, the citizens’ votes in the presidential election hold little significance. This is because the citizens actually vote for officials to be appointed by state legislature when they bubble in their choice for President. The officials from each state come together to form the electoral college. The electoral college are the people who actually vote for the country’s President. With the voting day for the controversial 2016 presidential election quickly approaching, the people of America want their voice to be heard more than ever. However, many feel that the electoral college could take this voice away. In general, the electoral college system has been heavily criticized. Yet, it is still in place. The electoral college should …show more content…
W. Bush by 271 to 266 in Document G. As seen in the popular vote, the people of America found Gore to be the most fit for President, but certain members of the electoral college decided to go against what the people wanted and voted Bush into office. The United States is a country in which the people’s voices matter; taking the people’s voice in presidential elections is undemocratic and goes against the basic principles of the country. Another reason why the electoral college is undemocratic is through the fact that the presidential candidates only have to win the eleven states with the most electoral votes in order to win the presidential election, which is highlighted in Document A. This is undemocratic because candidates can spend their time trying to win over certain states to get more votes. In elections, candidates spend the majority of their time trying to win over certain states while almost completely ignoring others, making it seem like candidates only care about votes and not the whole population of the United States. Another undemocratic issue the electoral college possess is what happens when a tie occurs, “In that case, the election would be thrown into the House of Representatives, where state delegations vote on the …show more content…
Document A highlights this idea by showing that California only has fifty-five electoral votes. Even though this is the highest amount of electoral votes in the United States, the ratio of votes per person is off; California should actually have sixty-five electoral votes. These votes are given to smaller states due to the fact that each state must have at least three votes, even if their population reflects that they should have less votes; this means larger states, such as California, are underrepresented in the electoral college. Another document that showcases smaller states being overrepresented is Document D, which shows that twelve states and the District of Columbia have a combined population less than Illinois but have more than twice the amount of electoral votes. This violates political equality because the electoral college favors certain citizens over others, solely depending upon the state in which citizens cast their votes. If the electoral college were to be abolished, this would not be a problem, and every voter would have an equal say in presidential elections. In the case of a tie, less populous states are more represented than states with larger populations, “Because each state casts only one vote, the single representative from Wyoming, representing 500,000 voters, would have as much say as the 55 representatives from California, who represent 35 million voters”
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