Electoral College The President of the United States of America is the most powerful man in the world. As the Commander-in-Chief, Leader of the represented party, and peacekeeper among the world, the President’s job is up for grabs every four years. Article II of The Constitution states, any natural born citizen who has been a resident of the United States for at least fourteen years, and above the age of thirty-five can become the President (Posner 1). In order to be elected, the candidate must first win a majority of the state’s representatives and secure the party nomination. Afterwards, the American people vote on which candidate they would like to have in office. These votes then go the The Electoral College who, then in turn, vote again.
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In 1787, at the Constitutional Convention, some delegates wanted a popular vote to elect the president. Others argued that Congress should decide. However, the smaller states were not fans of either of these ideas. They feared that under either of those options they would be ignored by candidates, and be covered up by the larger, more populous states. The Electoral College became the compromise to accommodate the concerns of the smaller states, but still allow for a democratic system. It became that a democratic election determines each state’s vote for president in the Electoral College. The incorporation of the Electoral College means that a candidate cannot focus all of their resources and time on the larger states (Reed 1). It forces the candidates to appeal to the entire population in order to secure each Electoral …show more content…
There are two different types of elections, a direct election, and a divided election (“Types of Voting Systems”). In a direct election, every voter’s vote counts as one. If a candidate receives a majority, or more than half, of the popular vote, then they would win. The voter’s vote would then count for one out of the total number of the population. In a divided election, the candidate needs to obtain a majority of votes, from the most states. Instead of the total population now, the vote counts for one out of the total population of the state. If the majority of the population votes for a single candidate, the Elector is “ more than 99% likely to vote for the candidate with the majority of the state’s votes” (1) If the Electoral College is kept, the general population has more of a chance to sway the vote of the Elector (“Electoral Math Made Simple”). Therefore, every vote contains more weight and influence, which gives more power to the
In 1787, at the Constitutional Convention, some delegates wanted a popular vote to elect the president. Others argued that Congress should decide. However, the smaller states were not fans of either of these ideas. They feared that under either of those options they would be ignored by candidates, and be covered up by the larger, more populous states. The Electoral College became the compromise to accommodate the concerns of the smaller states, but still allow for a democratic system. It became that a democratic election determines each state’s vote for president in the Electoral College. The incorporation of the Electoral College means that a candidate cannot focus all of their resources and time on the larger states (Reed 1). It forces the candidates to appeal to the entire population in order to secure each Electoral …show more content…
There are two different types of elections, a direct election, and a divided election (“Types of Voting Systems”). In a direct election, every voter’s vote counts as one. If a candidate receives a majority, or more than half, of the popular vote, then they would win. The voter’s vote would then count for one out of the total number of the population. In a divided election, the candidate needs to obtain a majority of votes, from the most states. Instead of the total population now, the vote counts for one out of the total population of the state. If the majority of the population votes for a single candidate, the Elector is “ more than 99% likely to vote for the candidate with the majority of the state’s votes” (1) If the Electoral College is kept, the general population has more of a chance to sway the vote of the Elector (“Electoral Math Made Simple”). Therefore, every vote contains more weight and influence, which gives more power to the