Electoral College Meaning

The Meaning Behind the Electoral College

The United States of America is one of the most powerful countries this world has ever seen and currently is the world’s superpower. The President of the United States has a very important job for this reason. Not only is he a very influential figure around the world, but he serves a very important role when it comes to domestic affairs. This is the reason there is a very distinct way of choosing the president of the United States. The electoral college has been the primary decision maker of who becomes president since 1787 (Kimberling).

Back in the days when there was no technology, people had to find an effective way to choose a President in a fair manner. Many methods for choosing a President were

The votes had to be sealed and sent to the President of Congress to whom would open them and elaborate on the results (Kimberling). The elector with majority of votes became chosen and the second runner up became the Vice President (Kimberling). Kimberling continues to elaborate on the topic saying that if there was to be a tie, the United Sates House of Representatives, were the ones to pick the President from among the five contenders. The way this was done was by allowing the states to only cast one vote and by giving the vice presidency to the next Elector with the greatest votes (Kimberling). If there were to be a problem and the vice presidency position was tied as well, then the United States senate would break the tie and choose a candidate (Kimberling).

The article “Electoral College” lets us know that, “the original method of electing the President and Vice President, however, proved unworkable, and was replaced by the 12th amendment, ratified in 1804 (“Electoral College”). The 12th amendment required that each Elector had to cast one vote for President and a separate one for a Vice President (Kimberling). The amendment also required that if no candidate received the majority of Elector votes for President, then the United States House of Representatives were to select among the top three candidates with each state casting only one vote

This has changed over the years as the population of the United States has increased (“Electoral College”). Over the years the electorate has continued to expand letting more people gain the right to vote. As of today, any eligible citizen eighteen or older is allowed to vote for presidential electors (“Electoral College”).

Many citizens are actually unaware about the Electoral College system (“Electoral College”). Many believe that they are voting directly towards a President or Vice President on election day (“Electoral College”). Elector names are not on ballots therefore making the citizen believe it is a straight vote unless informed about the system (“Electoral College”).

Overall the Electoral College is an important aspect when it comes to the presidential elections. Even if the majority of votes are in favor of a candidate throughout the country, the candidate might not secure the presidency if he or she do not win with the necessary amount of electoral votes. The Electoral College has been in effect for past a century and has proven to be very effective even after some changes in society and technology. The Electoral College will remain a strong part of the elections most likely until many years to