The Electoral College System

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The Electoral College is the system with which we elect the president and vice president of the United States. The Electoral College was created and established at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. One of the issues that the delegates needed to determine at the convention was how they were going to elect a president and vice president. There was much argument over whether or not the president should be elected by a popular vote or by Congressional appointments as there were concerns with both suggestions. Some delegates feared that a direct popular vote would result in the votes being divided across many different candidates and it would be possible for a candidate to win the presidency without having a substantial amount of votes. However, …show more content…
The compromise that then resulted is known as Electoral College, and while it has been changed through amendments since it was first created, the basic structure is still the same. The Electoral College is comprised of a body of …show more content…
In accordance with the twelfth amendment, in the event that no candidate receives a majority, the outcome of the election is left to the House of Representatives in what is known as a contingent election. In a contingent election, each state is given one vote, which they then use to vote for one of the top three candidate with the most electoral votes. The winner of this vote is then elected president, regardless of whether or not they have the most electoral votes. Over the years, the question of whether or not we, as a country, should abolish the Electoral College has been raised many times. The Electoral College is one of those subjects that people do not tend to talk about until it becomes relevant to their life. In the case of the Electoral College, it’s only, for the most part, discussed every three to four years due to the nature of our country’s presidential elections. However, the question of whether or not we should get rid of it usually only comes into question after a particularly close election. This paper will explore the different positions on this argument and examine both the pros and cons of the Electoral
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