Electoral College: The Last Barrier to True Democracy
The American government was unique at the time of its founding because it brought back the idea of democracy, which had been a form of government almost non-existent since the Roman Empire. The idea of democracy is simple: citizens participate in politics through voting. This didn’t apply to all citizens; only white male landowners were allowed to vote until the Jacksonian era, when it was expanded to almost all white males. It wasn’t until 1920 that both men and women, black and white could vote - theoretically at least. Even then, America’s indirect democracy isn’t entirely democratic. The reason why America hasn’t reached an ideal indirect democracy, where every citizen gets one …show more content…
Who are the electors? They are “a mixture of well-known figures such as governors and other state and local elected officials, party activists, local and state celebrities, and “ordinary” citizens for the office of elector” (Thomas H. Neale). The number of electors for each state is based on the total number of members of Congress in each state. The Electoral College doesn’t make rogue decisions that change the outcome of the election, though electors can vote for candidates other than the one the majority of their state’s voters choose. Despite this there have been elections in which the Electoral College has changed the outcome. Seth Borenstein states “History shows that candidates have won the presidency but not the popular vote four times, and in each case it was the Democrat who got the most votes but lost the presidency: 1824, 1876, 1888 and 2000” in his article “Electoral College math: Not All Votes are equal”. Four out of 56 elections had a different outcome than the popular vote due to the Electoral College. This is equivalent to 16 years and four terms, and considering what FDR attained in three full terms and a partial fourth term, four terms can change the trajectory of the country …show more content…
This issue directly affects me and other people of voting age. My vote shouldn’t count more or less than anyone else’s. The complicated Electoral College should be removed by amendment. This antiquated system should be replaced with a simple and transparent system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins. Everyone would have a vote equal to one vote for the candidate of their choosing. People would be encouraged to vote for the candidate they think best represents their
The American government was unique at the time of its founding because it brought back the idea of democracy, which had been a form of government almost non-existent since the Roman Empire. The idea of democracy is simple: citizens participate in politics through voting. This didn’t apply to all citizens; only white male landowners were allowed to vote until the Jacksonian era, when it was expanded to almost all white males. It wasn’t until 1920 that both men and women, black and white could vote - theoretically at least. Even then, America’s indirect democracy isn’t entirely democratic. The reason why America hasn’t reached an ideal indirect democracy, where every citizen gets one …show more content…
Who are the electors? They are “a mixture of well-known figures such as governors and other state and local elected officials, party activists, local and state celebrities, and “ordinary” citizens for the office of elector” (Thomas H. Neale). The number of electors for each state is based on the total number of members of Congress in each state. The Electoral College doesn’t make rogue decisions that change the outcome of the election, though electors can vote for candidates other than the one the majority of their state’s voters choose. Despite this there have been elections in which the Electoral College has changed the outcome. Seth Borenstein states “History shows that candidates have won the presidency but not the popular vote four times, and in each case it was the Democrat who got the most votes but lost the presidency: 1824, 1876, 1888 and 2000” in his article “Electoral College math: Not All Votes are equal”. Four out of 56 elections had a different outcome than the popular vote due to the Electoral College. This is equivalent to 16 years and four terms, and considering what FDR attained in three full terms and a partial fourth term, four terms can change the trajectory of the country …show more content…
This issue directly affects me and other people of voting age. My vote shouldn’t count more or less than anyone else’s. The complicated Electoral College should be removed by amendment. This antiquated system should be replaced with a simple and transparent system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins. Everyone would have a vote equal to one vote for the candidate of their choosing. People would be encouraged to vote for the candidate they think best represents their