Electoral College Dbq

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An argument exists to whether or not the Electoral College accurately represents the democratic existence of the United States of America. America’s founding fathers established The Electoral College as compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election by popular vote of eligible citizens. Despite the infrequent close Presidential elections, this method has shown accepted election results since the 12th Amendment was ratified in 1804. Although this system has delivered uncontested results, “it has been the subject of persistent criticism and numerous reform proposals” (Neale 2007). The opposing views can be separated into two main categories: “those that would eliminate the electoral college and substitute …show more content…
Without this system, the President would be chosen over the powerful presence of large metropolitan areas, leaving more rural areas without a voice. As of right now, no one region possesses complete majority of electoral votes required to elect one presidential leader over another. Although opposing opinions exist, like Stephen Wayne, a professor at George Washington, points out by saying, “The Electoral College is sick in the sense that it seems to overrepresented the smaller states, the larger states and in the last election the competitive states, at least in terms of the resources that were devoted to them”(CQ 981). Many opponents suggest eliminating the Electoral College altogether and letting the popular-vote winner become president, also known as direct election. That solution isn’t as simple as it seems, “if we’re going to abolish the Electoral College, we will have to abolish the U.S. Senate and basically start this Constitution from scratch”, stated Robert Hardaway, law professor at the University of Denver (CQ Research 981). Adopting direct election wouldn’t only wreck havoc on the U.S. Senate and the Constitution, but also eliminate the advantages that the most populous and least populous states benefit from under the Electoral …show more content…
Abolishing the Electoral College in favor of national popular election voting regarding the presidency would be detrimental to the federal structure established in the Constitution, which would correlate to the nationalization of the United State’s central government. Additionally, “under direct election, those favoring an Electoral College claim, every close election might resemble to post-election contests in 200, not just in one state, but also on a nationwide basis, as both parties seek to gain ever vote” (Neale 2007). This type of dispute “could have profound negative effects on political comity in the nation, and, in the worst care, might undermine the stability and legitimacy of the federal government” (Neale 2007). The Electoral College represents a delicate balance between national and state governance. If this system was tampered with, it could possibly alter the nature of our government as a whole leading to regrettable consequences. As Professor Judith Best writes, “we are not simply autonomous individuals scattered randomly across the country. We are members of a small political communities: the states” (CQ Research 1001). Respecting and acknowledging the importance of federal principle is fundamental in understanding the needs of the nation as a
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