Electoral College Essay Research Paper Electoral CollegeThe free essay sample

Electoral College Essay, Research Paper Electoral College The Electoral College, friend or foe? The reply behind this inquiry is in the heads of those that understand it. Whether it be a # 8220 ; friend # 8221 ; or a # 8220 ; foe # 8221 ; there will ever be opposing sides and a controversial poetry. Since the political circumstance of today, the Electoral College seems to be the subject in every conversation and the thesis to every essay. The unmanageable desire to cognize the truth behind the enigma is stirring in the heads of the people in the United States of America. With the 2000 Elections underway sides are get downing to be taken among the people. Many oppose the Electoral College because of the fact that unknowing voters choose their leader and many support it because it was created by the founding male parents. Both sides are arguable and non one side is right. The inquiry is: Can a system be created to fulfill both sides of the American populace? The establishing male parents created the Electoral College for many grounds. We will write a custom essay sample on Electoral College Essay Research Paper Electoral CollegeThe or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One of the grounds was to give the people the right to hold a say on who becomes president and another ground was to give Congress the right to take every bit good. At the clip of the 1787 Constitutional Convention this was a subject that aroused many opposing thoughts and sentiments. They had three picks, to let the public direct elections, grant Congress the right to elect the president or give voters the privilege of choosing the states leader. What they were seeking to make was to forestall absolute power. Since they had their gustatory sensation of King George # 8217 ; s manner of governing they were afraid that if they let one group of people choose the president so that group would derive excessively much power or the president elected would experience excessively powerful. After many differences and disagreements the delegates eventually reached a determination. Consequently, they created a complex # 8220 ; filtrating # 8221 ; procedure known as the Electoral College. Thi s manner both the people and Congress could elect the president, or at least that was what was intended. The construction of the Electoral College was similar to that of the Centurial Assembly system of the Roman Republic. # 8220 ; Under that system, the grownup male citizens of Rome were divided, harmonizing to their wealth, into groups of 100 ( called Centuries ) . Each group of 100 was entitled to project merely one ballot either in favour of against proposals submitted to them by the Roman Senate. # 8221 ; # 8211 ; as stated by William C. Kimberling, Deputy Director FEC Office of Election Administration. The Establishing Fathers evidently knew if the Centurial Assembly worked for the Roman Republic because they were good schooled in ancient history, but were they sure if this antediluvian system of elections worked for their present-forever changing twenty-four hours? In order to reply that inquiry they had to set it to the trial. The Electoral College is made up of 538 membe rs. Each member represents a province. The voters are equal to the figure of representatives and senators a province has. For illustration if a province has 20 representatives and senators ( ever 2 ) than it has 22 voters. But in order to keep balance between the legislative and executive subdivisions no member of Congress and employees of the Federal Government can go voters. On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November the people in each province cast their ballots or in other words cast their ballots for the party slate of Voters stand foring their pick for president. The party slate with the most ballots wins that province # 8217 ; s Voters, intending that the presidential ticket with the bulk votes in a province wins all the Voters of that province. On the Monday following the 2nd Wednesday of December the Electors meet in their province capitals and project their ballots, one for president and one for frailty president. The completed ballots are so sealed and sent to the President of the Senate, which is the Vice President of the U.S, who so opens and reads the consequence of the ballots on the undermentioned January 6 to both houses of Congress. The campaigner for president with the most ballots ( 270 or higher ) wins the election and is declared president. The vice-presidential campaigner with the absolute bulk of ballots is declared vice-president. In a instance where there is no absolute bulk of electoral ballots for president. The U.S House of Representatives selects the president by merely one ballot being casted from each province. The bulk so wins. A similar method is used when there is a tie or there is no absolute bulk between the vice-presidential campaigners ; it is sent to the Senate alternatively of the House of Representatives. Then when every thing is finalized at midday on January 20 the elected president and vice-president are sworn into office. The procedure of electing a President is a long and troublesome method. The Electo ral College has had its clip in the topographic point light non merely now with the 2000 elections but in other times, such as the Elections of 1800 and 1888. In the Elections of 1800, Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson ran for president with Federalist Aaron Burr as his running mate. Runing against them was Federalist John Adams and Federalist Charles C. Pinckney. This election was considered the # 8220 ; Revolution of 1800 # 8243 ; because of its unusual happening. Voters had to put two ballots, one for president the other for vice-president. On their ballot the Electors had to bespeak the ballot was for president or vice-president. The 1 with the absolute bulk of the clip would go president, the smuggler up would be frailty president. When the presidential Voters went to project their ballot they did non separate between presidential campaigner and vice-presidential campaigner. Therefore, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr both received the same figure of electoral ballots, 73 , get the better ofing their oppositions. Some of the Voters thought they were doing a vice-presidential ballot but no 1 did. This unusual tie was sent to the House of Representatives to do the determination. Weeks passed and no 1 received the absolute bulk ( 9 provinces ) . After 35 ballots and the convincing nature of Federalist Alexander Hamilton, on the 36th ballot Thomas Jefferson was eventually declared President. Aaron Burr as smuggler up became Vice-Pr esident. Because of this election the 12 Amendment was passed. This amendment made Voters cast separate ballots for President and Vice- President in order to avoid confusion such as the one above. It besides states that the ballots would be counted individually in forepart of Congress by the president of the Senate. In order to win there must be a bulk ballot. The election of 1800 decidedly made a permanent impact on the United States. Because of that election the 12th Amendment was added to the Constitution. Many other elections after that one brought up a batch of confounding and new obstructions. The Election of 1888 is the merely obvious case where the Electoral College went against the popular ballot. Republican Benjamin Harrison and Democratic Grover Cleveland ran against each other in this tight race. The popular ballot was for Grover Cleveland with 100,000 ballots over Benjamin Harrison. When it came clip for the Voters to project their ballot Benjamin Harrison, the original also-ran, won the election with 65 more Electoral ballots than Grover Cleveland, 233 to 168. He was inaugurated the 23rd president of the United States. The controversial issue of the Electoral College began with the first elections it held. Due to the present twenty-four hours election job, it is apparent to see that the people want something done about the â€Å"Constitutional† Electoral College. Those who are for the Electoral College have their grounds such as it balances the power between the people and the authorities, it was started by the Establishing Fathers of the Constitution and it gives equal say to the little provinces so the big provinces don’t command the full election. Though they have sensible positions, every ground there is every bit arguable. For case their statement saying that the Electoral College balances the power between the people and the authorities is faithlessly. How could it equilibrate out the power between the people and authorities if a popular ballot from the people is non even considered the terminal of an election, while the Voters fundamentally control the election? It is obvious to see that the people’s ballot is non counted because if it was so all it would take to elect a president would be a popular ballot. As I see it there are many jobs in the current electoral college system. First a president can be elected even if it is non what the people want. For case the current elections ( 2000 ) can exactly turn out my point. Democrat Al Gore won the popular ballot with a slender difference of Republican George W. Bush’s votes. Even though it was a slender difference, he won the popular ballot however. Alternatively of allowing Gore the presidential term it seems that the lucky Bush will be crowned â€Å"king† . How of import is the peoples ballot? Another job is that the voters that go against their designated ballot are non punished. They are keeping a responsibility and a duty for the p eople and yet when they disappoint and backstab them they are non punished or even fined. The fate of The United States of America is in the thenar of those voters. â€Å"There’s no justification for the Electoral College–none† , says George C. Edwards III, manager of the Center for Presidential Studies at Texas A M University. â€Å" We have invested so much in this state in the rule of `one individual, one vote’ . We’ve expanded the franchise to do certain that everyone votes– And for someone– no affair who wins the popular vote– to quite lawfully take the presidential term, wholly contrary to democratic rules, is really difficult to justify.† Many people now a yearss feel the abolition of the Electoral College should be done. Senator- elite Hillary Rodham Clinton called for extinguishing the Electoral College, and polls show that many Americans portion her position. Not merely have the polls shown but so has a author ities functionary, a individual filled with cognition on this constitutional and governmental topic, that an Electoral College can merely make us harm. Many times in U.S history has the Electoral College let the American public down, 15 times to be exact has the electoral college voted person in to the presidential term that was against the popular ballot. Unfortunately there may be a 16th clip. Without the Electoral College there wouldn’t be a 16th clip or any more â€Å"times† at all. In decision I feel the Electoral College should be abolished. Not merely would it vouch a popular ballot election but it would stop all the major confusion and ruckus a â€Å"normal† election normally has. â€Å"The American `democracy’ has existed for over 200 old ages, and citizens are ready, as they have been for decennaries, if non centuries, to eventually command their ain state. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! † ( Ben Wildavsky writer of â€Å"School of Hard Knocks† ) Bertel M. Sparks. ( 1968 ) . Why have an Electoral College? . ( 4pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.libertyhaven.com/politicsandcurrentevent/constitutionscourtsa # 8230 ; ./haveelectoral.html Ben Wildavsky. ( Nov. 11, 2000 ) . School of Hard Knocks ( 3pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //getdoc.com Eric Wikman. The Electoral College: Then, Now, and Tomorrow ( 4pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ericwikman.com/eric/electoralcollege.html Voting A ; Elections: Electoral College ( 1pg ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.thisnation.com/processes-electoral.html Electoral College Problems ( 2pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //claremontmckenna.com/ctd/college/html Electoral College in General ( 2pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nara.gov/fedreg/elctcoll/ec-artcl.html How the Electoral College Works ( 2pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fec.gov/pages/ecworks.html Citizens for True Democracy: Individual EC catastrophes ( 3pgs ) . Retrieved December 11, 2000 from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //claremontmckenna.com/ctd/ecsux.html Christopher Henry ( 1996 ) . The Electoral College. Barbara Silberdick Feinberg ( 1996 ) Constitutional Amendments