Option 2: There are numerous discussions involving the Electoral College. There are some people that want to abolish the electoral college while others want to keep it. What do you think? Keep the electoral college or abolish it? Explain the reasons for your choice.
Writing Requirements
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside source) for your Initial Post
· APA format for in-text citations and list of references
Assigned Reading.
The Electoral College is unique and one of the most misunderstood concepts in American politics. How did the electoral college start? It started in the Constitutional Convention when delegates could not agree on other methods for electing the president. Why did the framers choose this method? The framers did not think that everyday citizens were intelligent enough to choose a candidate. The problem, the framers did not stipulate how electors would be chosen. The method of selection was left to the states. Why would they leave electors to the states? To rely on population would have guaranteed that the President would have been selected by the most populous states. This means the highest populated states would choose the precedent. Is this fair? No. California has 55 electoral votes compared to, let’s say, Wyoming, that has three electoral votes. The number of electoral votes for each state are decided on by the number of representatives in each state. The number of representatives for each state are decided on by the population of the state. There is a total of 538 electoral votes. A candidate for presidency needs to have at least 270 electoral votes to become the president. Electorial college is only used when voting for the President of the United States. Some states assign their electoral votes in a winner-take-all system; whoever wins the most votes gets the state’s entire electoral votes, except for Maine and Nebraska. Maine and Nebraska use the District method where voters in each state’s congregational district select a single elector, with the remaining two selectors being selected by the aggregate popular vote of the entire state. What if neither the candidates get the 270 electoral votes? The 12th Amendment states that if no candidate receives a majority in the electoral college, the President will be selected by the House of Representatives and the vice president by the Senate. Electoral college is not a popular way of voting for some Americans. In fact, numerous bills have been filed to abolish the 12th Amendment, but to no avail. The electoral college can be confusing and it’s one of the most difficult issues to discuss. Hopefully this has helped you understand the electoral process a bit better.
Chamberlain University (2022). POLI330 Political Science: Week 4 lesson. Downers Grove, IL: Online Publication.