Electoral College System Analysis

For years, voters of the presidential elections have been asking the question, “Does my vote count?” The answer to this question is yes. However, the votes cast by the American citizens are not the deciding factor in which presidential candidate wins the overall election. Votes casted by the public are instead counted toward whom the Electors of the Electoral College will vote for. The candidate the Electors vote for is meant to reflect the popular vote of the state; therefore the Electoral College system is a secure, fair way to elect the President while supporting federal procedures.
Critics of the Electoral College question the secureness of the system. Many dwell on the possibility of the Electoral votes not reflecting the nationwide popular …show more content…
If the Electoral College would be abolished, the two-party system that America thrives on would diminish and a third-party system would be used in its place. Third-parties would, "bring more legislative gridlock, and candidates would pander to certain groups, polarizing the populace as a whole," (Prabhushankar, 2015). Further polarizing the nation would develop additional issues in the government that could be avoided. Boylan (2008), a Professor of Political Science at Winthrop University, wrote that critics of the Electoral College believe that even though abolishing the system could mean the end of the two-party system, it is acceptable as long as the candidate who wins the popular vote will win the entire election. Some of the largest opposing groups of the Electoral College are the third parties. The National Archives and Records Administration (n.d.) concluded that third parties tend to have negative opinions of the Electoral College, and those opinions have affected the public 's opinion about the system as a whole. The last third-party candidate that became a major candidate in the election was in 1912, and he lost the presidency by 178 electoral votes. A third-party system is not utilized in the Electoral College, but third-parties have not had enough instances of having a strong showing in the elections for the system to be …show more content…
Boylan (2008), a Professor of Political Science at Winthrop University, claimed that the Electoral College has demonstrated federalism by utilizing federal principles shown by its structure and relationships. Not only does it utilize federal principles, but it also gives light to "undemocratic institutions and procedures." Additionally, the Electoral College does well in securing democratic and federalist ways through the basis of the College itself. Boylan (2008) mentioned that the Electoral College exemplifies democracy through its constitutional form. The only way to abolish or reform the Electoral College would be through a constitutional amendment. If a reform were to be made, it would have to abide by constitutional laws and political rules. Since the reform would have to follow constitutional procedures, the Electoral College can only be changed if a good, reasonable, and logical solution is brought to the government’s attention. The Open Political Science Journal communicated that the Electoral College requires the system of checks and balances to be used. With the system of checks and balances, the majority and the minority are going to be equal regardless of who has won the popular vote Boylan (2008). Opponents of the Electoral College have argued that the federalist ways of the Electoral College is a problem. However, Boylan (2008)