The electoral college is a fair system articles news. Opinion getting rid of the electoral college isnt just. The way we now elect presidents would horrify the authors of the u. As blue states push to abolish electoral college, critics warn. Explains the presidential election process from beginning to end.
The importance of the electoral college by george grant. His book presidential elections and majority rule, on which this essay. The electoral college was established in 1788 by article ii of the us constitution, which also established the executive branch of the us government, and was revised by the twelfth amendment ratified june 15, 1804, the fourteenth amendment ratified july 1868, and the. M any americans do not understand every nuance about their presidential selection system, and particularly about what is known as the electoral college, which determines which individuals become their countrys president and vice president. And every presidential election, candidates are forced to only compete in a handful of swing states, and effectively ignore voters in every other state in the union. This book is brought to you for free and open access by the the digital press at the university of north.
Critics of the electoral college system point out that the system allows the possibility of a candidate actually losing the nationwide popular vote but being elected president by the electoral vote. This video gives a short overview of the electoral college and what roles it serves in u. Why does the united states use the electoral college. College decisions overshadow popularvote victories is neither novel nor as in the. In a direct election system, the south would have lost every time. The electoral college distorts presidential campaigns.
Unlike the twoparty system the electoral college fosters today, there would be numerous candidates competing in a national election. Denver ap colorado electors in the electoral college must cast ballots for the winner of the states popular vote, a federal judge ruled tuesday in a case filed by three dissident electors who sought to vote for someone other than hillary clinton in the 2016 election. In defense of the electoral college the washington post. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties might. Only on five occasions has a president won the electoral college while losing the popular vote. A majority of voters says the electoral college system should be abandoned in favor of a national popular vote, according to a new poll. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the state may be entitled in the congress. You would have violence washington a number of states want to abolish the electoral college in favor of the popular vote. Abolishing the electoral college used to be a bipartisan. Electoral college foes continue push to make popular vote.
The latest nbc newswall street journal survey finds that. Indeed, the recurring prospect of a president elected with a minority of the vote inspired a major push to end the electoral college beginning in the 1960s. The electoral college is a body of electors established by the united states constitution, which. The constitution, in article 2, section 1, provides. In his book, let the people pick the president, jesse wegman writes. A relic of the nineteenth century, the divergence between the electoral vote and the popular vote was unlikely in the twentieth and twentyfirst. Popular vote better than electoral college, stanford.
The electoral college is a fair system now, more than ever, is the time for civics education. Americas founders wisely considered many different aspects of democratic election including the preservation of minority rights i. Videos you watch may be added to the tvs watch history and influence tv. In his book a more perfect constitution, professor larry sabato elaborated on this advantage of the. Failures of original intent and a proposed constitutional amendment for direct popular vote by alan e. Democrats rally to defend electoral college system world. Led coalition accused of potential war crimes in push to. The electoral college system is a matter of ongoing debate. A modest proposal for the electoral college tropics of meta. A quick read presenting a compelling case for the constitutional electoral college.
As blue states push to abolish electoral college, critics. Electoral college, the system by which the president and vice president of the united states are chosen. The shortcomings of the current system of electing the president stem from. The compact is a statebased approach that preserves the electoral college, state. The electoral college method of electing a president of the united states is archaic, undemocratic, complex,ambiguous, indirect, anddangerous. Jesse wegmans book let the people pick the president argues the.
The history of the electoral college debate history. The culmination of this effort should be allowing the people to directly elect the presidents who serve them. While its true that presidential candidates concentrate on swing states, there is no electoral system that would push them to tour all of the nations 3,007 counties, 64 parishes, and 41. This book explains the dangerous and unconstitutional implications of the national. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Political electoral systems are organized by governments, while nonpolitical elections may take place in business, nonprofit organisations and informal organisations. Theres a ton of uncertainty in the election, which is somewhat a feature of the electoral college and having swing states.
Understanding the us electoral college americas north. Movement tying electoral college to national popular vote. Thats the fundamental problem here, which is that when you use a winnertakeall system statewide, most. Let the people pick the president addresses electoral college. List of books and articles about electoral college. Every four years, the us elects a president, but voters dont have the final say. National popular vote interstate compact wikipedia. Democrats are seemingly in a decent position, but a lot of those states went trumps direction in 2016. Ever since the founding fathers created the electoral college, congress has tried. April 8, 2016 national popular vote far better than electoral college system for choosing presidents, stanford professors say.
The points are, rather, to show that a central argument in support of the electoral college system protection against tyranny of the majority is not a good argument at all it is, in fact, a terrible argument, and to suggest that even if an electoral college is maintained, there is at least a fairer way to do it viz. It also explains why a candidate can win the popular vote but not actually win the election. What really drove the national movement and the push for a popular vote. I absolutely loved this book because it made both the history, and the current. The history of the electoral college debate debate over the system used to choose the president and vice president of the united states is as old as the u. Many criticisms of the electoral college system exist. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties. An idea for electoral college reform that both parties might actually like. The electoral college is the system that the us has used for more than 200 years to choose its presidents. Supporters say it will bring fairness to national elections, while critics warn it could lead to violence. Thats why the current electoral odds are about 5050. The push to abolish the electoral college is picking up steam as democrats turn their attention to the 2020. The tyranny of the minority, from iowa caucus to electoral. The national popular vote interstate compact npvic is an agreement among a group of u.
Electoral college system the presidential elections of 2000 have once again raised doubts regarding the effectiveness of the electoral college system. Initially, in the electoral college, electors vote for president. It was devised by the framers of the united states constitution to provide a method of election that was feasible, desirable, and consistent with a republican form of government. In defense of the electoral college national affairs. A group selected by the states to elect the president and the vicepresident, in which each states number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in congress. The winnertakeall electoral college system that led to this antidemocratic. A straight accounting of the popular vote showed that democratic candidate al gore had a lead of. The flawed foundations of the electoral college yale.
As long as one side feels disadvantaged by the electoral college, it will be far more likely to push for a popularvote system. The electoral college system has undergone huge changes since 1790. The electoral college system governing us today, as delineated in the. If there was no majority vote getter, it went to the house where each state got one vote. Taming the electoral college explores poorly understood aspects of the electoral college, including two possibilities in particular that could pose the most serious danger for american democracy. These are, first, determination of the president by faithless electors who ignore the popular vote in their states, and, second, choice of the president in the house of representatives, which is required if no electoral college. Given all that is happening in todays world the electoral college system can. In his new book, let the people pick the president, wegman makes. The desire to abolish the electoral college is driven by the idea democrats want rural america to go away politically, senator lindsey graham of south carolina said on twitter. Understanding the flawed foundations of the electoral college is the critical first step on the road to reforming the system of presidential selection. An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. The author assumes his reader has some knowledge of the basic function of this institution before reading the book so it may be helpful to overview the system before diving in.
Some argue that the electoral college should be dumped as a useless relic of 18thcentury whitegentry privilege. The electoral college really chooses the president, a month after. His colleague marco rubio of florida posted a similar note, calling the electoral college a work. Its a push lawmakers say theyre launching in order ensure that every persons vote is valued equally, something thats not entirely guaranteed with the electoral college system. In 1966, senator birch bayh of indiana who died last week at 91 introduced a constitutional amendment to.
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