The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

The electoral college which was established at the same time that the rest of the three branches were set up, has been heralded as one of, if not the most controversial part of the modern government. Created in the constitution in Article Two, the Electoral College is a process in which the United States chooses its Chief Executive, the president. The Electoral College is made up of 538 members who are chosen, most often, by state party conventions (there is no exact way that is required for the choosing of states’ electors). Once the popular vote is collected the electors pledge themselves to a candidate, normally the person who won the popular vote but not always. This means that sometimes there will be a disparity between who wins the popular

Swing states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Ohio, often have much more time and resources poured into them. This creates many problems that make some states feel like they are less important than others are, and when it comes to the electoral college, this worry truly is based in fact. Due to the fact that certain states have significantly larger amounts of electors and aren’t always sway a particular way the candidates are more likely to focus the extra time and resources into those states. This also can have an impact on the legislation and the platform on candidates. People running for presidents who want to win over the swing states will be more likely to support legislation, laws and tax breaks that support people in that state. Therefore, swing states have a much larger chance to have their problems heard and solves. This goes against the idea that all citizens should be equally. A way to solve this problem would to be abolishing the electoral college so that every vote can count and not all of the states would be treated more equally. One could argue that those states with a larger population would still get more focus because they have more votes that could be won. This view is flawed because with the electoral college abolished the votes wouldn’t be all or nothing so all states would have votes that were worth

James Madison stated, during the debates surrounding the ratification of the constitution, and therefore the electoral college, there was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections.” This fact that the electoral college was made for the preservation of the institution of slavery is something that should be taken into consideration when the conversation about whether or not the electoral college is something that should persist in the world today. With the conversation of equity and equality being brought to the forefront of American society recently, it is important to think about the reasons thing exist and whether its problematic roots have tainted the fruits of the institution. Getting rid of the electoral college would not only be a sign of solidarity, in an attempt to curb the rampant racism in the United States, it would also be helping to sow that all citizens of this country, despite their race, religion, or any other