Essay About Electoral College
On September 6th, 1787 during the Constitutional Convention, the Electoral College was created. But that isn’t where everything started, in the beginning, methods were discussed within the committee, but were immediately denied because they did not meet the requirements of each state equally. The founding fathers did not want states with smaller populations not be properly represented. This then led to the creation of an Electoral College. The 538 members who were chosen to be a part of the Electoral college would then represent the United States during voting. These members are selected through a process where they must be chosen through each political party. “One for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators” (What is the Electoral College, n.d.). These are the people who cast their votes for the Presidential and Vice President election.
Every four years the electoral college cast their votes for both the presidential election and vice president. Each state is given one vote; within the state, the presidential candidate with the most votes ends up winning the electoral college vote for that specific state, but that does not include Nebraska or Maine. Electors are not required to vote for those of their own party. “Faithless Electors” are members of the Electoral College who, for whatever reason, do not vote for their party’s designated candidate” (Faithless Electors, n.d.). Thus meaning, that they are not required to elect for their own party. Now if a candidate does not receive the majority of votes, it is then up to the House of Representatives. Whereas the Vice President is chosen by the Senate.
American citizens within the United States vote for the President and the Vice President, this is known as the popular vote. The popular vote is similar to the electoral college votes, but they aren’t as powerful they simply serve as a guide. This does not mean they won the presidency, they must win through the electoral college. Overall, the electoral college votes on behalf of the people.
Although the electoral college was created in order to help the government and presidential candidates, it did come with a few negative consequences. First off, the electoral college controls who will become president, not the people. The popular vote is used for the people within the state, which meant that if a candidate had won that specific state more than likely the representatives would have voted for the people. In 2000, that was not the case, George W. Bush did not gain the popular vote, but he then went on to win the electoral college vote. There have been many similar cases to this, especially in the recent election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. During the election, Hillary Clinton had won the popular vote, but she had lost the electoral vote. Everyone was in shock when this had happened, there were many outlets who did not agree and brought a lot of attention to it. During the recent election, there were seven faithless electors who voted for someone other than their own party. When Donald Trump had won, voters had generated a petition that way the government would take a second look at all the results because Clinton had won the popular vote. This is a major consequence of the electoral vote, the people are basically not given their votes and they felt like they were being pushed to the side.
Moreover, since the popular vote did not win within a few elections it made voters question their vote. One of the biggest questions was “does my vote even count?” When the electoral college outvotes the popular vote it really shows how much power the members have. Since the 2000 election voters questioned the equality of the system and voting. As a state, the votes counted, but because of the faithless electors, it really changed the outcomes of a few elections. One may say the votes count, but only to a certain extent. In the end, the people do not choose whom they want their next president to be, the electoral college decides. It is believed that the electors are the voice for the people. Although there have been cases where the popular vote was out ruled, the electoral college it is still strong and standing. The founding fathers created a fair way of voting for the President and Vice President, although it could be fixed a tad bit today in order to create equality for everyone.
Ultimately, the 538 members who make up the electoral college are generally those who represent the states and decide on the big decision of who will run our country and benefit us as a whole as he or she becomes president. There are a few cases where electoral college votes outweigh the popular vote, but it is still a part of the government so it is obviously impacting the country. The electoral college should still be kept in place, but there should be a few adjustments since 231 years have gone by.
