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Essay on Electoral College

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According to critics, the Electoral College is a faulty system that should be abolished and replaced by direct election. Supporters of the Electoral College system make convincing arguments that it is the best system to decide the Presidential election in a complex society such as the United States. Many scholars place the Electoral College into a historical context by discussing its evolution and sustenance throughout the history of the United States. This paper will discuss the main arguments made by supporters of the Electoral College System. I will first provide a description of the Electoral College and offer justifications as to why it was conceived by the Founding Fathers. Next, I will present major arguments from the critics of …show more content…

However, a compromise was made by the delegates to have electors chosen by the various state legislatures elect the President. This is the decision that made The Constitution. Critics of the Electoral College often make three main arguments. The first argument states that the Electoral College does not accurately represent the will of the people. The Electoral College’s failure to capture the will of the people derives from the winner take all system where the Presidential candidates compete to win the most popular votes and whoever wins in that state, wins all the electoral votes of that state. With this, it becomes difficult if not impossible for third party or independent parties to make a showing in the Electoral College. Subsequently, the argument states that the Electoral College supports a two party system and discourages third party and independent candidates, which in turn restricts the choices available to the electorate. The second argument is the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing the voter turnout. “Since each State is entitled to the same number of electoral votes regardless of its voter turnout, there is no incentive in the States to encourage voter participation” and, finally the third argument is based on the alleged unfairness in the process by which the votes are distributed among the

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