Fair Election Research Paper

The Horn of Africa, Eritrea, is home to around 6 million people and is the worlds’ most oppressive state. Isaias Afwerki has been in power for around two decades and since taking up power in 1993 has forbidden any elections from taking place. Political theorist, Robert Dahl, considers the following four aspects vital for the making of a free and fair election: 1. the ability to vote without fear of reprisal; 2. coercion is prohibited and not practiced; 3. all voters are counted as equal; 4. voting must take place frequently. If these requirements are applied to Eritrea it will undoubtedly be evident that the country does not conduct free or fair elections. On the other hand, if these requirements are applied to the United States of America, some would instantaneously deduce that the ‘Land of the Free’ conducts free …show more content…
Electors can also be dangerous if they vote contrary to expectation. Such a case occurred in 1956 when democratic elector W.F. Turner from Alabama voted for Judge Walter B. Jones for president instead of Adlai Stevenson, despite the fact that Stevenson carried 56.5 percent of the popular vote (The Electoral College and Elections, 199). Although some states have passed laws that require electors to vote for their party nominee, the supreme court has not passed such laws. Lastly, the disproportion between popular vote and electoral vote is the third factor in which electors bear danger to the electoral process. By analyzing the popular vote principle, it is evident that the use of the electoral system is unfair. A presidential candidate might win the majority of popular votes, but might not necessarily be elected as president as the candidate must win the majority, 270 votes, of electoral votes in order to