The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

The Electoral College was founded by, ironically, the Founding Fathers. It is a process which is established in the Constitution, and serves one purpose: to elect a President by fair means. This method involves a combination of votes from both the Congress and the citizens of the United States. The Founding Fathers believed that in order to prevent tyranny, or oppressive government rule, a sort of system should be established. Along with the lack of trust, the Founding Fathers also were concerned about possible manipulation by foreign governments, thus creating the Electoral College (History Central). The Electoral College has gone through several amendments to become what it is known as today. Early on, each of the thirteen colonies was designated with two electors, but could gain more depending on the number of representatives. These colonies were allowed to appoint their own Electors, however members of

The Electoral College represents votes given by the state, which are normally influenced by the popular vote. Each state is granted a specific number of electoral votes, all based on the state’s population; the bigger the state, the more votes it earns. To win an election, one candidate out of the two must earn at least 270 votes. This process, unfortunately, has both its advantages and disadvantages. In its favor, one may argue that it supports smaller states, creates more stability within the election due to the two-party system, and prevents the chances of recounting votes. However, the Electoral College is also believed to be “complicated” by cause of its unique representative system, persuade candidates into giving more attention to the smaller states, and be a magnet for faithless Electors, or Electors who decide to not vote for their party’s candidate (Veracity