The Case against Electoral College System
The Electoral College system has been operational for more than three centuries as the means by which Americans elect leaders in office. The system should be abolished as the historical context that warranted its creation is no longer there, it does not reflect the will of the people and suggests that some states are more powerful than others.
The contextual justification for the creation of the systems are either not present or relevant. Prior to the system’s establishment, America had an electorate that was not intelligent enough and would not be entrusted to make decisions on the choice of leaders (Cox, 2018). However, the current citizens are now well informed to make prudent electoral decisions without direction by enlightened statesmen.
Secondly, the current electoral system gives more power to some states and allows few of them to decide the presidential election (Cox, 2018). People who reside in less populated states such as Idaho have less electoral power than those in populous states such as California or Texas. This circumstance creates power imbalance and creating the ‘lesser state’ mentality in the country.
Additionally, the Electoral College does not respect the simple principle of majority having their way. The failure to consider the power of the majority of citizens delegitimizes the elected leaders and in a way abuses the political power of Americans (Edwards III, 2019).
In conclusion, the existing criteria for electing leaders in America has been overtaken by events and cannot help citizens elect the leader of their choice in the current political context. On the account of its failure, it should be replaced with a system that respects the will of the majority and consequently accord each American equal right to making political decisions.
References
Edwards III, G. C. (2019). The Faulty Premises of the Electoral College. Retrieved from https://in.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/91544_Chapter_8_Pages_from_Nelson_The_Presidency_and_the_Political_System_11e_2.pdf
Cox, A. M. (2018). The Electoral College: A Constitutional Needle in a Political Hay Stack. Int’l J. Soc. Sci. Stud., 6, 94. Retrieved from https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/ijsoctu6&div=22&id=&page=
Writing Notes
Professor’s Name
Student’s Name
Course Title
Date
Argument
In this paper we argue that Electoral College should be abolished in the United States. The Electoral College is not suited for the 21st century. While the Electoral college was established to balance power between the congress and the states, ensure large states do not dominate small ones and ensure checks in the constitutional system, it has recently been ineffective in doing so.
Key points
The Electoral College should be abolished for the following reasons
- The reasons as to why the Electoral College was established are no longer relevant.
- It gives more power to some states and allows few of them to decide the presidential election
- It ignores the will of the people. It does not account for the principle of the majority have their say.
Audience
The audience for this essay will be legislators, state administrators and the general public. The challenge that is likely to be experienced is convincing the audience that there are more limitations associated with Electoral College.
Goal
The main aim of this essay is to convince people to support the abolishment of the Electoral College in the United States. The essay will require support from different resources for it to be successful.
Resources
Edwards III, G. C. (2019). The Faulty Premises of the Electoral College. Retrieved from https://in.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/91544_Chapter_8_Pages_from_Nelson_The_Presidency_and_the_Political_System_11e_2.pdf
This article provides significant insights on the limitations of the Electoral College. This supports my arguments as it gives reasons on why the Electoral College should be abolished.
Cox, A. M. (2018). The Electoral College: A Constitutional Needle in a Political Hay Stack. Int’l J. Soc. Sci. Stud., 6, 94. Retrieved from https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/ijsoctu6&div=22&id=&page=
This article provides detailed explanations on why the challenges associated with the Electoral College. This will support my argument by highlighting the limitations of Electoral College.
Supporting resources
The following are the main points of the essay with the supporting resources;
- The reasons as to why the Electoral College was established are no longer relevant (Edwards III, 2019).
- It gives more power to some states and allows few of them to decide the presidential election (Cox, 2018).
- It ignores the will of the people. It does not account for the principle of the majority have their say (Edwards III, 2019).