Rockridge High School

Taylor Ridge, Illinois

Teacher: Barbara Downey

 

 

 

Youth Direct Vote: The Right Choice
By Jason Lincoln
12^th grade 

          It is January of 2001 and the world has just witnessed one of the most heated and controversial presidential elections in the history of the country.  The ultimate winner was George W. Bush.  He defeated his adversary, Al Gore, by a casual majority in the Electoral College.  Strangely but surely, George W. Bush did not win the country’s popular vote.  This is not the only time an outcome like this has happened in the history of the United States.  I believe the person who is to lead the nation should be elected by its people, not by a group of elected officials.

          As the country moves on from this election, more and more people are asking themselves, “Could this election be more simple?”  The answer to that question is definitely yes.  A direct vote system is the best possible way of electing a president.  There is less controversy, people understand the direct vote system better, and the people would elect the president.

          A direct vote system would eliminate the confusion of the Electoral College.  People would never have to worry about the thought of a faithless vote.  There have been many controversial events that have taken place with the Electoral College system and the presidency.  It all started in the third presidential election.  Aaron Burr was defeated by Thomas Jefferson in 1800.  They tied with 73 electoral votes each.  Then the decision was tossed into the House of Representatives where each state’s delegation voted as one unit.  This is when Alexander Hamilton came into the picture and swayed the vote Jefferson’s way.  Ironically, Burr killed Hamilton in a duel.  A duel to the death is a great example of what controversy in an election can cause.

          Another very close election was in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.  More and more scandals were occurring at this time.  One reportedly occurred when Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago stole the election by illegally stealing votes from vacant car lots and graveyards.

          There is always the possibility of a presidential elector taking money for a particular vote.  There is no sure way of knowing if the elector from your state will vote for the same candidate as what the people voted for.

          Finance reform is certainly something we need to take seriously.  I think less money should come from the government when it comes to elections.  After all, presidential candidates are selling themselves to the country.  Why should the country be paying them to do that?  I believe more money should come from corporations and other sources that can be tracked to a substantial source.  I also believe each candidate should have a limit of how much money they can receive from non-governmental affiliations.  Each candidate should also receive the same amount of government money, almost like the process now, but I would propose to lower that amount considerably.  It’s time to stop paying out to rich men who don’t really need it.

Another advantage of a direct vote is it’s simpler and easier to understand.  The person with the most votes wins.  There are very few people walking around who would know exactly how the Electoral College works.  On the other hand, if you asked someone on the street how a direct vote system works, he or she probably would be able to answer it very easily.

The direct vote system cannot be disputed.  The Electoral College system can be disputed because a candidate could win in the Electoral College but lose the popular vote of the people.  Even though some of our greatest presidents have not won the popular vote, who is to say the vote of a few electors is better than the nation’s vote.

How exactly does the Electoral College work?  It works like this:  every ten years the official census figure adjusts how many representatives each state will receive.  Then take that number and add the two senators.  This equals how many votes each state will get.  The District of Columbia receives three electoral votes.  A direct vote election is held in each state.  The winner is supposed to receive all the electoral votes from that state.  This is true in all states except in Maine and Nebraska, which both use districts.  The winner in each district receives one vote, and the majority winner in the districts will earn the remaining two votes.  Once all the electoral votes are counted, the majority winner will officially be the president elect.  If there is no majority, then it will be thrown into the House of Representatives.  Each state is given one vote and they will vote until a majority is reached.  The Speaker of the House will temporarily be the president until the decision is resolved.

Sounds a little complicated.  I wonder if the direct vote system is less complicated.  Everybody gets one vote and the candidate with the most votes wins.

When the country was first coming together and the Constitution was being written, not many people believed in a direct vote system.  Three prominent people did believe in it were James Wilson, Governeur Morris, and James Madison.  The other prominent people believed that the American people’s vote could be swayed too easily, so they turned to the Electoral College.  With a direct vote system, the president would truly be the people’s choice.

People who believe in the Electoral College should take a step back and contemplate what a direct vote means for the people.  A direct vote is the best possible way of electing a president.  An American citizen should be able to aid in the electing of their president without confusion and controversy.

By the year 2001, I hope to see a change in the way the election is run: an election where there is no confusion, no mudslinging, and no suspense.  Direct vote is the way to go.

 

Sources

Wikman, Eric.  “Electoral College: Then, Now, and Tomorrow.”  Jan. 2001: Available at www.wikmann.com/eric/electoralcollege.html.

 

Questions and Answers

Q1.  How and when did the United States elect a president and vice president of different parties?  Name them and their respective parties.

A1.   1796:    John Adams – Federalist Thomas Jefferson – Republican

 

Q2.  Describe four ways that were suggested to elect the president between 1808 and 1846.

A2.   Candidates to be chosen by lot were to come from retiring Senators; in later proposals the states were each to elect a native son candidate.  In 1816 the first direct-vote plan was proposed.  In 1822 it was proposed that the president be chosen by four regions on a rotating basis.

 

Q3.  Name five U.S. Presidents who were elected with less than a popular vote.

A3.   John Quincy Adams, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy.

 

Q4.  Describe the winner-take-all system.  Which states use this system?

  A4.   The winner-take-all system is whoever gets the majority of votes wins.  Every   state except for Maine uses this system.

 

Q5.  When do electors vote and when are the results known?

  A5.   Electors vote on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.  The results will not be official until January.

 

Q6.  What affect would substituting a direct popular vote for the Electoral College have on third party candidates?  Why?

A6.   The thought of a direct vote would encourage minority third parties because     there would be a greater probability that the two majority parties would not      receive a majority.

 

Q7.  Give four arguments for and against a direct vote system.

A7.   - A direct vote would weaken the power of the states.  State borders would be irrelevant.  All electors would end up working for Federal, rather than State governments.  Federal standards of eligibility would eventually be determined to make the presidential choice uniform. Plus It would strengthen the National government.  A direct vote would encourage more minority parties.  A candidate who would win on popular votes alone.  Federal employees tally a national vote.

 

Q8.  Describe the differences between the district plan, the proportional plan and the winner-take-all plan.

A8.   In the district plan the electoral votes are allocated by districts within the         various states.  In the proportional plan the electoral votes are divided up          between the candidates according to the popular vote tally in that state.  In the       winner-take-all plan, a candidate with the most votes within the state wins the   electoral votes.

 

Q9.  State the four points experts in 1969 agreed should be included in an ideal plan for electing U.S. Presidents.

A9.   (1) The need for a quick decision and clear-cut winner; (2) the victor should be the peoples’ choice winner of the most popular votes; (3) the president-elect should have a mandate to govern, a legitimacy which comes from a good margin of victory; and (4) the ideal system should not undermine the two-party system.

 

Q10. Write a paragraph describing what is meant by one of the following:  Shrinkage Phenomenon, Americans prefer pragmatists to ideologues, The people most likely to be under represented, or Crisis is opportunity.

A10. Crisis is Opportunity – A president who is elected during a time of crisis in the country is given a chance to do well right from the start.  For example, Abraham Lincoln was elected during a period of slavery and the Civil War.  He came in, made slavery illegal, and basically ended the bloodiest time in America’s history.  The exception to his election was that he won by a very small margin, but turned out to be one of the best presidents ever.  Another example of a president who came to power in the time of a crisis was Franklin D. Roosevelt.  He brought the country out of the Great Depression Period and led our country through World War II.  For these two reasons he is considered a great president in American history.

 

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