The excitement of voting starts to lessen when the truth is shown about the voting process. Voting is the foundation of America and represents one of the biggest things that America has to offer to people who are already citizens or wanting to become citizens. Once November comes around, it’s a chance for many of us to go and speak up about who we want to represent America. The Electoral College is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state has two senators, but the House of Representatives is based on the population of the state. Out of 538 electors, 270 electoral votes are needed to decide on the President. The Electoral College can decide whether or not to ignore our state’s votes, depressing our voter turnout rate and insinuating that our votes didn’t matter at the end. The Electoral College should be abolished from the United States because it restricts the people from using their democratic right if the turnout of the Presidential Election doesn’t represent what they voted for.
The Electoral College does not represent what the foundations of the United States stands for. Many voters are under the impression that their votes count towards what President is elected, but in reality, this isn’t always the case. As previously mentioned, even though the people can elect whoever they want in the campaign, the Electoral College makes the final decision on behalf of the state. For example: 85% of a state votes for Clinton, while that remaining 15% votes for Trump. Even though the majority of the state vote was for Clinton, the Senators and House of Representatives for that state can decide among themselves that Trump would be better suited and will cast our votes towards him. Can this really be considered the definition of democracy? To think that this is what politics are now is unjust for everyone who participates in such activities like the Presidential Campaign. For instance: “… it becomes possible to win the presidency by winning just 21.8% of the American public’s vote.” (Lewis) This can happen because of the system we have in America. It’s outdated and has been around since 1787. It’s time for a new change that is inclusive of the citizens of the United States and expelling the Electoral College will help do that.
The Electoral College exists because politicians are afraid that the people will not choose the right person to be elected. The nation’s founders were worried about groups of people with a common interest violating the rights of citizens, also known as factions. They believed that these group of people would influence their country in a negative way through democracy. Political leaders still hold onto this fear which can explain why the Electoral College is seen as another way to make sure that our nation isn’t controlled by a leader with degrading beliefs. For example: “… the Electoral College stemmed from the fact that ordinary Americans across a vast continent would lack sufficient information to choose directly and intelligently among leading presidential candidates.” (Amar) The United States has never had faith in us, limiting our power to even slightly control how our nation will be formed for 4+ years. Citizens of 18 years and older know something about how politics work and wouldn’t purposefully try to harm our country. For example: political parties nominate electors in each state “… electors they believed could be counted on to vote for the presidential nominee.” (Prokop) We elect political leaders because we believe that they do show potential in positively changing our nation and representing our values/beliefs. Citizens are seen as unreliable in voting for a political leader, but the Electoral College isn’t much better. The Electoral College members are mainly made up of white men and can be easily influenced by others who are of that same description. It’s a possibility that they might be prioritizing white voters and electing who they choose. Citizens can be seen as not reliable by politicians, but as technology has advanced, our knowledge on who can fit our description as leading one of the greatest nations in the world is ideal.
The system of the Electoral College are seen as a way to make sure that rural cities aren’t left out, but it is actually more inclusive than most politicians would think. Another fear the founding fathers had was that if there was a direct democracy, the candidates would focus on big states like California and the voices of the rural areas would be drowned out. This is not the case as many believe so. By eliminating the Electoral College, it allows for rural areas to have their voices to be considered equally like any urban city. The voting system would “… accurately value them by treating them equal to people who live in cities…” (Prokop) Rural areas will no longer be outcasted, but joined in unison with the votes of others living in urban areas. With or without the Electoral College, rural voters are valued as much as any other voter. Another example states, “By electing our President solely based on who the majority of our population selects…. the vote of every American citizen would hold equal weight and significance.” (Lewis) The Electoral College singles out smaller states based on the number of their electoral votes. States like California have 55 electoral votes compared to smaller states like Nevada who only have 6 electoral votes. These big states will always have an advantage, but if the Electoral College was gone, then it would be based on the state’s majority. The state’s majority has nothing to do with population, but just how the outcome turns out to be. The reasons for the Electoral College, like to make sure rural areas are included, are still applied if there were to be no Electoral College in the U.S.
There will always be controversy on whether or not the Electoral College should exist in the United States. All of the reasons listed above such as the Electoral College depressing our votes if they decide to go against the state’s majority helps to show that this is not the definition of democracy that America stands for. The Electoral College was founded a long time ago with a different set of standards that should be changed by now as 2 centuries have already passed. None of the problems that may rise without the Electoral College will be applicable to our new voting system if we were to remove it, one of the biggest ones being that rural areas will have their voices drowned out by the urban areas. Many do not yet know the freedom taken away from us by keeping the Electoral College. A google search can change the opinions of many on whether or not our old voting system is suitable for this ever advancing era.
Works Cited
- Amar, Akhil. “The Troubling Reason the Electoral College Exists.” Times. 8 November 2016. http://time.com/4558510/electoral-college-history-slavery/ 9 September 2018.
