Search results
Dec 9, 2021 · 1. Listen to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Electoral College. 2. Explore the Electoral College via the US National Archives. 3. Consider the American Bar Association’s fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. 4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article.
- The Obsolescence Debate
- Advantages of The Electoral College
- Disadvantages of The Electoral College
- The Bottom Line
- The Popular Vote Plan Alternative
- Sources and Further Reference
The Electoral College system was established by Article II of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. The Founding Fatherschose it as a compromise between allowing Congress to choose the president and having the president elected directly by the popular vote of the people. The Founders believed that most common citizens of the day were poorly educated and u...
Promotes fair regional representation:The Electoral College gives the small states an equal voice. If the president was elected by the popular vote alone, candidates would mold their platforms to c...Provides a clean-cut outcome: Thanks to the Electoral College, presidential elections usually come to a clear and undisputed end. There is no need for wildly expensive nationwide vote recounts. If...Makes campaigns less costly: Candidates rarely spend much time—or money—campaigning in states that traditionally vote for their party’s candidates. For example, Democrats rarely campaign in liberal...Can override the popular vote:In five presidential elections so far—1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016—a candidate lost the nationwide popular vote but was elected president by winning the Electoral...Gives the swing states too much power: The needs and issues of voters in the 14 swing states—those that have historically voted for both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates—get a high...Makes people feel their vote doesn’t matter: Under the Electoral College system, while it counts, not every vote “matters.” For example, a Democrat’s vote in liberal-leaning California has far less...Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, a lengthy and often unsuccessful process. However, there are proposals to “reform” the Electoral College without abolishing it. One such movement, the National Popular Vote planwould ensure that the winner of the popular vote would also win at least enough Electoral College ...
As an alternative to the long and unlikely method amending the Constitution, critics of the Electoral College are now perusing the National Popular Vote plandesigned to ensure that the candidate who wins the overall popular vote in inaugurated president. Based on Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution granting the states the exclusive power to c...
“From Bullets to Ballots: The Election of 1800 and the First Peaceful Transfer of Political Power.” TeachingAmericanHistory.org, https://teachingamericanhistory.org/resources/zvesper/chapter1/.Hamilton, Alexander. “The Federalist Papers: No. 68 (The Mode of Electing the President).” congress.gov, Mar. 14, 1788, https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers#TheF...Meko, Tim. “How Trump won the presidency with razor-thin margins in swing states.” Washington Post(Nov. 11, 2016), https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/swing-state-margins/.- Robert Longley
People also ask
What are the pros and cons of the Electoral College?
Is the Electoral College a good idea?
Why is the Electoral College so controversial?
Are small populations overrepresented in the Electoral College?
Apr 2, 2023 · The electoral college has a number of pros and cons, depending on where you fall on the political spectrum. While it prevents an easy-to-understand election that would draw from a popular vote, it was originally enacted to give every state its fair say in who gets elected to the highest office in the country.
Jan 5, 2021 · Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. However, that support diverges widely based on political parties, with support from...
- Allyson Waller
Nov 7, 2016 · An amendment to modify the electoral system would require the approval of a supermajority of states. Small states and battleground states hold disproportionate importance under the Electoral College that a popular vote system would eliminate, and, Levinson explained, are therefore unlikely to support any move to reduce their power.
The Pro's and Con's of the Electoral College System. There have, in its 200 year history, been a number of critics and proposed reforms to the Electoral College system - most of them trying to eliminate it. But there are also staunch defenders of the Electoral College who, though perhaps less vocal than its critics, offer very powerful ...
Jan 21, 2021 · The official general election results indicate that Trump received 304 Electoral College votes and 46.09% of the popular vote (62,984,825 votes), and Hillary Clinton received 227 Electoral College votes and 48.18% of the popular vote (65,853,516 votes).
