These issues still affect out modern day political sphere. SEPTEMBER 15, 2020. Mr. Bidens opponents soon abandoned their campaigns. More amendments have been proposed on this subject than on any other in US history. The immense moral authority of the White House must be used to. [15], [1] https://history.house.gov/Institution/Electoral-College/Electoral-College/, [2] https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Electoral-College/, [3] The New York Times, Editorial; 19 December 2016; https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/opinion/time-to-end-the-electoral-college.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article. Interestingly, the electoral vote totals of Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016 were identical - 306. But we need bipartisan support in Congress, a constitutional amendment, and a majority of the states to agree. Each registered voter gets just one vote. With the exceptions of Nebraska and Maine, where electors are, awarded according to congressional district, each state's electoral votes are awarded in a winner-take-all, Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Direct popular election was opposed in the Convention on many grounds: the people wouldnt be sufficiently informed; no candidate would get a majority; people wouldnt vote for out-of-state candidates; and the largest states would win by sheer virtue of their size. Albert Gore accepted the result, even though he had won the popular vote by 540,000. Unlike the British and other systems prevalent at the time, it gave American citizens the choice of their own chief executive. Together with our house of representatives in the lower chamber it rules across the land as a bicameral legislature. The College delivers a Chief Executive vetted not just by the people of every state but also by their state governments. Almost all states rely on a "winner takes all" system in which every party in each state creates a slate of electors equal to the number of Electoral College votes the state has. D - It is Unfair In document F it says that if there is a tie in the Electoral college it is up to the House of Representatives to decide who is president. The district plan is the one that Maine and Nebraska use now. A voter in Wyoming has nearly four times more influence than a voter in California. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Electoral. It removes a potential for disaster in presidential elections. 2011-2023 VALUEWALK LLC. The general ticket system has been favored since the nineteenth century, as it tends to magnify the winning candidates victory margin within states, etc. Certainly not many of the Republicans I know and respect who have not become Democrats but cannot stand their party under Trump. And because states want to maximize their influence in selecting the president, they also have a strong incentive to use a winner-take-all approach to awarding electors, which all but two states currently do. The brightest students know that the best way to learn is by example! Thats true democracy. I am not alone in holding. The site offers no paid services and is funded entirely by advertising. Q3 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more. (Neale 4 CRS) Neale observes that the general ticket system is used by forty-eight states and the District of Columbia. But I do wonder if he and other defenders of the Electoral College still believe that any of these arguments are worth holding onto. States, battleground or not, would disappear from the electoral calculus. They have long provided what may be, Which of these correctly compares the libertarian and conservative ideals of a model economy? [5] Sabato, L. J. If it didnt exist, no one today would consider creating it. 1956: Hubert Humphrey's (D-MN) S. J. But Trumps ushering in of an ultraconservative minority-rule presidency, and the threat that he would do it again in 2024, has established Electoral College reform as a serious progressive issueespecially following the Capitol Hill insurrection., The Electoral College Saved the Election [By Christopher DeMuth; January 8, 2021][10]. method is known as the Electoral College. Yes! Gates Capital Management's ECF Value Funds have a fantastic track record. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of fairness of the Electoral College system. And the other is power after Trump. I have argued for decades that we need to get rid of the Electoral College. If you use part of this page in your own work, you need to provide a citation, as follows: Essay Sauce, Should we abolish the Electoral College?. Whereas some are convinced that the popular vote should be used to determine the president, others maintain that the Electoral College process has been successfully used in all of the past presidential elections and should remain the deciding factor. It cant solve our problems on its own, but has given us a measure of stability to try for ourselves. 152 was a new, unique proposal of reform introduced in the 84th Congress. They think it antiquated, irrational and undemocratic and argue for scrapping it in favor of a national popular vote. The College was devised to quell fears of parochialism in the selection of the President. Furthermore, Neale gave a detailed description of the General Ticket system and other alternative systems that give the audience a full spectrum of the Electoral College process. They devised a method to elect a president that would ensure that the person elected would not gain too much power and independence. Both McConnell and Sample believe that the Electoral College is significant because it makes sure that the states count in presidential elections. The Electoral College consists of electors in each state that cast their votes for the president based on how their constituents voted in the general election. Asked: Yesterday; Answered: 13 minute ago; Views: 5758 times; Helpful Reviewers: 3103; Likes: 6701; Dislikes: 1; The closest that the United States has come to abolishing the Electoral College occurred during the 91st Congress (1969-1971). "Yes, let's abolish the electoral college," he told the crowd at the We the People Membership Summit in March. Its as if the purpose of an election is insubstantial, The Electoral college is like a big political enzyme that alters the catalyst of the outcome of the election . Your IP: Start by abolishing the Electoral College. In response to Donald Trump winning the presidency despite losing the popular vote, numerous individuals have weighed in with letters-to-the-editor, op-eds, blog posts, videos, and the like, and thanks to the revolution in digital communications, these items have reached an exceptionally wide audience. The nations landmasses safeguard our natural resources, national security, and rural economy. Illing: What would you say is the biggest myth or misconception about the Electoral College? Lewis is saying that the "playing field" is not equal when it comes to the vote. What Would Gandhi Think of Our Constitution? However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Since 1964 the has been 538 electors in . But does anyone still believe it is a great idea for our politics? We must abolish the electoral college and replace it with the national popular vote. Neale gives a complete assessment of the plans that describes examples of how each plan works. Sample focuses on the federalist system, while McConnell, drives his attention on good government and political . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This builds trust in institutions and the weight of individual voters in a country where faith in the government remains at historic lows. While not formally one of the national political institutions, political parties today are nonetheless major players in both national and state politics. Most states however use oaths and penalties to bind them. 1 They view the Popular vote as a way to lessen the power of the people in rural areas, and make the focus of elections and political campaigns centered around the urban and city regions of each state. This helped our country pick a winner in many presidential elections where there were multiple candidates. Is the Electoral College plan fair? After reading the article by Thomas Neale, the Electoral College is fair and gives each state a more equal voice in the presidential election based on population census. Almost 50 percent of Americans polled want to abolish the Electoral College, according to data from an Economist /YouGov poll published on Wednesday. (04.02 MC) Which of the following is a key belief of a supply-side approach to economic and fiscal policy? Yes. This has happened five times: John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, Benjamin Harrison in 1888, George W. Bush in 2000, and Donald J. Trump in 2016. Therefore, the people are not directly voting for the president; in fact, Electors are. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. And if you have a campaign that is forced to pay attention to everyone in the country and has to treat every vote as equally important, which is what a popular vote election would be, this would solve these problems and it would be more fair to the country as a whole. [14] The Electoral College is the devil we know, wrote Yale constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar. The funds (full-name Excess Cash Flow Value Funds), which invest in an event-driven equity and credit strategy, have produced a 12.6% annualised return over the past 26 years. 2) Swing States vs. Presidential System Could be More Suitable for India, Why Ambedkar Didnt Like Indias Constitution. Moreover, Thomas Neale article depicts the procedure of awarding each states electoral votes. Will himself left the party for this, by Naomi Schaefer Riley, Opinion Contributor, Schumer, Jeffries ask Murdoch to stop Fox hosts lying about 2020 election, Eli Lilly caps insulin costs at $35 per month, Watch live: Garland testifies before Senate panel at oversight hearing, EPA to award $250 million in IRA funds to reduce climate pollution. Each state gets their total number of votes decided based on the population of the state plus two guaranteed senators. It's time to ditch the antiquated. The Electoral College Is Racist [By Laura Thompson; March-April Issue 2021][9]. It's composed of senators, each representing a single state. Clarence Thomas was appointed by the Bush brothers father, President George H.W. Everyone gets one vote. It is these officials who choose the President and Vice President of the United States. Save it to your . The direct nationwide presidential election, augmented by the Electoral College, reinforces Americas two-party polity. Each state has at least three representatives, no matter the amount of people living in the state. [6], Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College [Book by Jesse Wegman reviewed in The New York Times by Josh Chafetz; March 17, 2020][7]. On the other side of the debate are those who would keep the Electoral college in place. Available from: [Accessed 01-03-23]. The Electoral College was and continues to be an undemocratic system that stands as an obstacle for the United States to become a real democracy. Those who wish to abolish the system have laid out plans to replace the system with a more Popular vote oriented system which counts each individual vote directly (Neale 2004). But Trump considers himself the winner this year. The alternative systems are the district plan and the proportional plan. LET'S ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE Are the people smart enough to choose their own leader? If we make it through this election, we must make changes to the system that led here. Alex Keyssar is Matthew W. Sterling Jr. When the Electoral College was almost abolished? Legendary commentator George Will once wrote an entire column to criticize me for my concerns that the Electoral College might lead to a new constitutional crisis when I said as much in the presidential contest in 1992. EssaySauce.com is a free resource for students, providing thousands of example essays to help them complete their college and university coursework. However, technology has made it so that the information . The United States, Presidential elections provide a level of legitimacy to each new administration by following the will of the people (Clayton 2007; Koza 2016). (4 points) Libertarian Conservative A) No regulation Moderate regulation B) Government management of the, 5. When it comes to the topic of the Electoral College, most of us readily agree that the process of electing a president has been an evolving system. Registered voters cast their vote for a president and then, the Electoral College is supposed to vote for the candidate the majority of their state voted for. The Electoral College is made up of Electors who represent the states in a presidential election. (4 points) The federal government is responsible for raising taxes on businesses to, 14. Compare and contrast Sample's and McConnell's views about the Electoral College. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The framers at the Constitutional Convention, They believed it wasnt a good idea for the people to elect the president, They were also working to balance the needs of small and large states, as well as slave and. Abraham Lincoln received only 40% of the popular vote in 1860but 59% of the Electoral College. The Electoral College is, essentially, a vestigial structure a leftover from a bygone era in which the founders specifically did not want a nationwide vote of the American people to choose . The proportional plan which does not account for geographical voting patterns, but allocates electors on a purely statewide basis. (Neale 5 CRS) was voted on in Colorado in 2004 and did not pass. However, nowadays registered voters can get their news instantly, thus are informed about the candidates. We respect your privacy. (download the rest of the essay above). Amendment resolutions have tended to come in waves. 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