Electoral College Research Paper

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Events

There have been many elections that have came right down to the wire, and several elections have tested the Electoral College system. For instance, in the 2000 election, George W. Bush running against Al Gore was an extremely close election. Al Gore was the Democratic Party choice for nomination; Gore served under Bill Clinton, and was immediately the front-runner as the party first choice. That election was recorded to be one of the closest elections in American history, and a devastating election inversion for Al Gore. It also goes down as one of the most debatable election. The media brought panic with the early-declared winner twice based on the polls. The ballot came down to the very last votes and they demanded a recount, those recounts only happen statewide.

There were several instances in that election that could have been a turning point for either candidate. A lot of states have come right down to the last vote numerous times. For example, “Six states eventually had their electoral votes decided by one half a percent or less, led, of course, by Florida (final results 537 vote difference), New Mexico (366 votes), Iowa (4,130 votes), Wisconsin (5,396 votes), Oregon (6,826 votes) and New Hampshire (7,282 votes)”(Cocchia). If Florida's 25 electoral votes had gone in Al Gore favor with one me vote, he would be president. They finally revealed that the Florida count was just too close to being predicted. Bush was declared the winner of the Florida by 25 electoral votes. The final decision was based on just a few hundred votes in Florida. That was the fourth time an election has ever gotten that close, in American history.

Even if the Electoral College doesn’t succeed in electing a president there are alternatives set in place; an early method of choosing electors was selection by the state legislature. There have been federal and state constitutional changes, which have affected both the time and manner of choosing Electors. “And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President” (Seward). There are always a couple down sides to the Electoral College. Sometimes every vote does not account for the same power as others states. For example, a vote in Ohio is not the same as a vote in New York, and this is simply because of population.

Like many other things the Electoral College has its ups and downs. The Electoral College was a great policy thought up by the founder fathers, but it doesn’t exactly evenly distribute, as it should be, it’s also not supposed to be perfect. The Electoral College was made in order to guarantee a safe and stable country, rather than balance it out. This process has somewhat gave the smaller state a chance or a voice when it comes to the election process. I ponder that the situation gave them a type of under estimated power. What that means is that they do not have as many electoral votes; they are still a key part of winning an election. Often in these smaller states majority of the populations have the same political views; because smaller states have a limited population, there is not that many people needed to be persuaded. As a result, the little but yet mighty electoral votes can go to almost anyone.

Rules

The Electoral College shouldn’t be allowed to take part in the winner-take-all rule. This rule in many cases has suppressed the voice of minorities in states that mostly don’t have the same political views. Often there are times when a candidate losses the majority vote, but still wins most of the electoral votes. This rule also allows either candidate that has the majority of votes in the state claim that entire state. As a result, many candidates loss hope in certain states. For example, democrats would rarely campaign in Texas, because it is predominantly known to be a republican state. No matter how close the other candidate is as long as that candidate has at least 51 percent of votes he wins. In contrast, I consider each candidate should get the same percentage of electoral votes, as in the percentage of majority votes. The winner-take-all rule has been a key make or break part of many elections. This rule is also not backed up by the constitution, so it should not be a factor when it comes to an important event, as in the election.

Conclusion

On the bright side the Electoral College has protected America and the precedency in many ways. It also has complete control over who leads the most powerful nation in the world. The small states were given additional power to prevent politicians from only focusing on issues that affect the larger states, because the wealthy or manipulative politicians would easily influence the precedency. For instance, if the Electoral College weren’t created, America would probably be a dictatorship country; there are several different horrific outcomes that can come from a dictatorship. The people would never be allowed or able to have a voice and the country would continue to be unlawfully influenced. The Electoral College has kept America civilly stable.

Work Cited

Cocchia, V. (2015, February 11). Setting the Stage: A Look At the Race.

http://www.liberty-freedom.org

Hamilton, A. (1778, March 14). Congress.gov | Library of Congress

http://thomas.loc.gov

LaHood, R. (1979, June 5). Proposals for Electoral College Reform: H.J. Res. 28 and H.J. Res.43, http://www.judiciary.house.gov

Seward, W. (2015, March 3). AMENDMENT XII” 12TH AMENDMENT.

http://www.law.cornell.edu

Whitaker, & Neale. (2015, October 5). The Electoral College.

http://www.mcgeorge.edu.