The United States of America was founded on the ideas of freedom, independence, and social equality. The power of choice was intentionally given to the people. This included the right to decide legislation, to be represented by specified civic leaders, and the right to elect a president through the process of voting. The electoral process can be approached in various ways. For some elections, popular vote is used. Nonetheless, the electoral college system is exercised for presidential elections. The structure and function of electoral college is based in the Constitution. Popular vote is, in part, applied to the electoral college process. However, the method does not quantify the individual vote the way popular vote values each, singular ballot.
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The majority of the votes decides the winner of an election. Alternatively, the electoral college is popular democracy organized on federal principles. This process views each of the states as a separate entity. Within each state, a popular vote appoints a states ' specific number of electoral votes to the electoral vote. Aggregate national popular vote leads to the final outcome of the electoral college. Majority of states ' electoral votes decides the winner of the election. In an attempt to balance the voting power of states with varying populations, the electoral college vote per state is predetermined. The formula for electoral votes is written in the Constitution. The number assigned to each state is the sum of its U.S. senators and U.S. representatives with 538 electors total (NARA, 2016). In order to win the presidency, or the vice presidency, 270 electoral votes are required for the majority. Additionally, there are specific combinations of states needed to claim the electoral victory. With the current electoral practice, there is a possibility of a …show more content…
The playing field between large, densely populated states, such as California, is equalized with the votes of smaller states such as North Carolina. The weight of each individual’s vote is pooled and redistributed by state residency. One vote from a ballot in Alaska has more value than one from California. This offset of voting power may not seem fair to an individual, but on a larger scale, it helps to distribute the power. As a consequence, individual voter participation in smaller states has a greater net effect than in other states, making for dynamic campaign tactics to appeal to voters in specific regions. Proponents may argue regional interests are disproportionality addressed to gain the electoral vote, exacerbating the rift between the popular opinion and state specific
The majority of the votes decides the winner of an election. Alternatively, the electoral college is popular democracy organized on federal principles. This process views each of the states as a separate entity. Within each state, a popular vote appoints a states ' specific number of electoral votes to the electoral vote. Aggregate national popular vote leads to the final outcome of the electoral college. Majority of states ' electoral votes decides the winner of the election. In an attempt to balance the voting power of states with varying populations, the electoral college vote per state is predetermined. The formula for electoral votes is written in the Constitution. The number assigned to each state is the sum of its U.S. senators and U.S. representatives with 538 electors total (NARA, 2016). In order to win the presidency, or the vice presidency, 270 electoral votes are required for the majority. Additionally, there are specific combinations of states needed to claim the electoral victory. With the current electoral practice, there is a possibility of a …show more content…
The playing field between large, densely populated states, such as California, is equalized with the votes of smaller states such as North Carolina. The weight of each individual’s vote is pooled and redistributed by state residency. One vote from a ballot in Alaska has more value than one from California. This offset of voting power may not seem fair to an individual, but on a larger scale, it helps to distribute the power. As a consequence, individual voter participation in smaller states has a greater net effect than in other states, making for dynamic campaign tactics to appeal to voters in specific regions. Proponents may argue regional interests are disproportionality addressed to gain the electoral vote, exacerbating the rift between the popular opinion and state specific