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Essay On Electoral College

952 Words4 Pages

Lola Cleverley
American Government
Mr. Baker
2 March 2023
The Electoral College vs. The District Method
The Electoral College is the system by which the United States elects our president. The number of electors each state gets is based on its representation in Congress, 1 vote for every senator and representative. The electors vote for the candidate that got the most votes in the state, meaning winner takes all the votes. The electoral college has always successfully chosen a president and benefited small states. However, in the more recent years there has been much debate as to whether or not this system works for our country. There have been five times when the winner of the popular vote loses the election leaving citizens wondering …show more content…

Instead of ‘winner takes all’, the winner would receive one vote per congressional district won, with the popular vote winner gaining an additional two votes per state. This method would be easy to implement because people already know how it works. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states currently using this method, so people are familiar with the idea. Likewise, it’s similar to the way the House of Representatives are voted in, meaning American voters would understand how and why we are using this method. The constitution states in Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, “Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of electors…”. This gives each state the freedom to choose how the electoral votes are chosen. Significantly, the district method is constitutional and has already proven to work in two states. Admittedly, it is known that gerrymandering can take place using congressional districts. While this is a big problem, our legislation will have to do their best to prevent gerrymandering from changing the election. This is only one flaw of the district method and does not outweigh the benefits and positives this method …show more content…

This method is already used in Maine and Nebraska and has proven to work successfully in both states. Voters already understand congressional districts so it makes the process easier to implement. Both candidates have a true and accurate shot at winning the election and a more precise winner will be chosen. Last, this will persuade more voters to show up and cast their vote, because they will believe their vote will actually make a difference. Overall, the congressional district method will show more benefits than drawbacks and will change the future of voting and electing presidents

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