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The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

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The Electoral College is a method that was established by the Founding Fathers of the United States within the Constitution. The Electoral College has been the subject of more proposed amendments than any other provision of the U.S. Constitution (Richie and Levien 353). The Founding Fathers did not intend for the Electoral College to be a perfect democratic system, but James Madison, strongly opposed winner-take-all laws. The Electoral College is a vital part of Federalism, which is the foundation of the system of government and without it no candidate would be likely to receive a majority (Bond and Smith 343-352). Though, there are many downfalls to the Electoral College. Some of the founders had a profound distrust of ordinary citizens’ abilities to make good judgments about choosing a president. Madison, Hamilton, and others believed that the presidency should reflect the preference of the people, but suggested it should be refined through intermediaries who have superior knowledge and judgment (Bond and Smith 343-352). …show more content…

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. The number of electors is different for every state and is based on the number of Congress members within the state. The minimum number of electoral votes a state receives is three; one for each member in the House of Representatives and two for every member in the Senate. There are eight states with the minimum electoral votes, which are Alaska, Delaware, District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. California has the largest representation of electoral votes at fifty-five. The weight of each vote depends on which state the individual lives (Bond and Smith

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