The Pro's and Con's of the Electoral College

The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College
December 4, 2008

"…every member must have an equal and effective opportunity to vote, and all votes must be counted as equal." -Robert Dahl

Have you ever wondered if the Electoral College is a good enough system for our country? As Robert Dahl says, everyone, including you, needs the equal and valuable opportunity to vote. You need to know that your vote counts and that you can trust the system. Many people oppose the Electoral College and have many sufficient reasons why. Citizens who are for this also have extremely adequate explanations. In this essay I will explain three pro’s and con’s each.

First, let's examine one of the pro's of the Electoral College. This system persuades candidates to promote themselves in small and big cities of the battle states. Especially in the swing states, live speeches are often more persuasive. Such tactics often help voters choose the best candidate. Therefore, citizens, rich or poor, will have a more personal experience with whichever candidates they would like. It really helps the American people have a moment of clarification amid the news and other possible unreliable sources.

Another pro of the system is: If a recount was needed, it can often be centered to the specific state(s). Hence, everything would be made easier if something went wrong. For example, eight years ago, in 2000, a presidential recount was proposed in the state of Florida. The election was between Al Gore and George W. Bush. If not for the Electoral College, the recount may have had to take place in the nation.

The last advantage of the Electoral College is that it boosts the status of minority interests. A minority candidate may either capture all of the state's electoral votes or none. Many ethnic minority groups and other special interest groups will try and seize the votes of a larger state. Therefore, it would possibly affect the number of overall votes for each candidate by putting them out of proportion. The Electoral College will either give the minority groups a better or worse chance of acquiring electoral votes. It often helps them move toward their goals.

Let us also consider the disadvantages of the Electoral College system. A big problem many citizens worry about is the major possibility of not pursuing the popular opinion. For example, in 1988, the combined possible voting populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming totaled 3,119,000. These seven states contained 21 Electoral votes. In Florida there were 9,614,000 persons that could possibly have voted. As a result, everyone in Florida who had the voting option held about 1/3 of the sway compared to those in the other seven states. The possible root of the problem is the winner-take-all system. This goes against the Electoral College, however, if a third party happened to win 34% of the nation's votes, it may have never won an Electoral vote. Although there is a possibility of the third party winning a few states, in other parts of the country the votes would not count. The "failure" of these votes to not count is the main disadvantage of the Electoral College.

The Electoral College somewhat forces candidates to only campaign in battleground states. For non-swing states, many residents may vote differently. However, if very few campaigning occurs there, then that resident might simply stick to their "usual" party. Also, for young, first-time voters, this campaigning may be necessary to make a choice that fits their lifestyle. Yes, most people can do research and watch the news, but hearing a candidate speak live is different than watching it on TV. This voting system can put off campaigning that might be needed in non-battleground states.

Lastly, this voting system has the hazard of "faithless" electors. A "faithless" elector is said to be someone who is pledged to vote for a specific party's candidate but votes for another. Although faithless electors have never truly switched the outcome of the polls, it is still frowned upon. Frequently, "faithless" electors are set on making a point, rather than changing the leader for our country. Still, rivals for the Electoral College say that the risk of "faithless" electors is a big setback.

You have heard both sides of the Electoral College argument. For the pro's, this system persuades candidates to campaign in big and small cities of battleground states, it also enables an easy-specific-state recount, and it also advances the status of minority interests. On the other side, the Electoral College has a major possibility of not representing the popular opinion, there is a problem of "faithless" electors, and it will also push candidates to only campaign in battleground states. I hope this piece has helped you form your opinion. If you would like more information, there are several sites underneath.

Other Related Sites
http://www.uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_procon.php
http://www.seaford.k12.de.us/it/spark/2005/ec/PROS-CONS.htm

http://nj.npri.org/on96/11/electora.htm



Bibliography
Kimberling, William C. "The Pro's and Con's of the Electoral College System." The Electoral College. 2008. 4 Dec 2008 <http://www.uselectionatlas.org/information/information/electcollege_procon.php>.
John. "PROS/CONS." Electoral College. 4 Dec. 2008 <http://www.seaford.k12.de.us/it/spark/2005/ec/pros-cons.htm>.