Pros And Cons Of Electoral College

Words: 2279
Pages: 10

Electoral college: sixteen letters, two words, and one huge meaning. Even though the concept of the electoral college was thought of over two hundred years ago, the system is still in place today (Greer). What seemed like a great idea at the time when there were only thirteen colonies and four million citizens, has proved to be outdated way to choose a president today (Kimberling 1). The newfound ability to manipulate the vote using the method of vote trading makes the election not only unethical, but also untrustworthy (Hartvigsen 17). With only forty-seven percent of eligible United States citizens coming to vote in the 2000 election between George Bush and Al Gore, something must be done to turn the American election pattern around (Greer). The outdated system of the electoral college has allowed modern American elections to become not only undemocratic, but also manipulated, unfair, and unappealing to the American voter. The concept and name of electoral college is not something that was thought up one day; it took a long process. Our Founding Fathers needed to find a system to elect a president that worked for thirteen colonies of varying size who all wanted the same amount of power, and four million citizens who were spread across these thirteen colonies with no real means of communication (Kimberling 1). In addition to these …show more content…
Most importantly, the power of large and small states is more equally balanced (Hartvigsen 15). This allows for a more fair election, whether you are a voter in Rhode Island, or California. Next, candidates do not focus campaigning on urban or rural areas, rather, they satisfy the needs of all people (Hartvigsen 15). Candidates instead focus on campaigning the state as a whole. Lastly, the electoral college system gives a national mandate for governing the election, therefore, requiring geographic support to win (Hartvigsen