Rockridge
High School
Taylor
Ridge, Illinois
Teacher:
Barbara Downey
Time
For Some Change
By Kathy Swett
12th grade
What has the 2000 presidential election taught us?
This year’s election reaffirmed that our current system of electing a
leader needs to be reformed. With
so many different ways to change our system, the decision that needs to be
made is which way is best.
This quest for the best way to choose a leader raises many important
questions. I decided to use this
essay to teach myself something about the system, the many reform options, and
the different aspects of what it takes to elect the leader of the free world.
I discovered that I support an electoral college system but feel that
the current winner-take-all system needs to be changed.
A large direct election would not necessarily reflect everyone
accurately. I also feel that our
nation’s education system is in need of some changes.
When the electoral college was first founded at the constitutional
convention, it was a compromise that allowed states to be fairly represented
and still let the people have a say by letting them choose their electors.
The original thinking was that people would be more familiar and
trusting in a well informed local candidate, who would then pick the leader,
instead of choosing one far-off national candidate.
Obviously, this idea is no longer true.
With all the mass communication available, people see and know their
candidates more up close and personal than ever before.
Where is all this going, you might ask.
Well, this is a major reason for changing our current system.
However, the electoral college does have its advantages and should not
be eliminated.
The electoral college keeps states with large population centers from
determining how the country will be run.
A voter in Maryland would be very angry if the state of California
determined who would be their leader. States
with fewer people are given a voice in elections.
The electoral college also keeps extreme views from taking over and
allows a healthy balance of power to be maintained in the United States.
An electoral college is a good idea, but now the problem lies in our
archaic election system. Which
reform makes sense?
The
proportional plan, used by Maine and Nebraska, is the most appealing.
Two electoral votes are awarded to the statewide winner.
The remaining votes are allocated according by the winners in each
congressional district. This
system of voting allows for the winner of the popular vote in each state to
win but still allows for the other votes to be represented in the national
scheme. This method is good
because it makes the votes in every state more important.
This system makes the candidates take a look at all the states, not
just the “important ones”.
A couple of things about this system should be noted.
It can be adopted in every state without a constitutional amendment,
but to get every state to accept
this plan would be difficult. Every
state would have to adopt this system. If
every state did not, the proportional plan would have an adverse affect on
those states that did not adopt it because their power in the electoral
college would be diminished. This
is why many states have not adopted the system.
However, there is more in this country to debate than just elections.
Education is an important part of society.
Unfortunately, many children in our nation are not receiving the
quality education they deserve. Both
Republicans and Democrats proposed ways to improve schools.
The differences were amazing. Al
Gore proposed national testing, closing down schools that are below standard,
and moving children to the private or public school of their choice.
Personally I do not like this plan.
Power of education should rest in the state and local governments.
These units are better equipped to deal with the individual problems of
each school. Preparing for these
national tests would take away from the time spent learning other more
important or interesting subjects.
I found the Republican plan presented by George W. Bush to be more
reasonable. Republicans want to
raise the standards and allow families whose educational needs are not being
met, or who feel they are in danger in school, to choose to attend the school
of their choice, with government help. The
important difference is that the decision is left to the family.
Republicans also want to seek mandatory prosecution for students who
bring guns to school. The
Republican plan to help college grads with their loans if they agree to teach
in low income schools, and their plan to bring retired military persons into
the classroom are excellent ideas for improvement.
While I do favor the Republican education reform plan, I do see one
major problem. Neither party has
come up with a way to see if each school meets the standards that have been
set. It will be very interesting
to see how reforms in the electoral college and education will be made in the
next four years. As an American,
I am sure that many will agree that the current electoral college system
should not be abolished, just reformed, and that our education system is in
need of improvement.
Works
Cited
Connolly,
Ceci. “Gore Pushes Education Reform.” 29 Apr. 2000. pA01.
Washington Post.
“Education
and Opportunity: Leave No American Behind.” n. pag. Online. Internet.
Steel,
Michael. “Politics: As Maine and Nebraska Go...”. n. pag. Online.
Internet.
“The
Right Way to Elect a President?” 11 Dec. 2000. p. 20. Vol. No. 37. Business
Week.
Answers
to the Questions
1.
How and when did the United States elect a president and vice president of
different parties? Name them and
their respective parties.
In
1796 the election resulted in John Adams, a Federalist, as President, and
Thomas Jefferson, a Republican, as Vice President.
This happened because the system dictated that whoever got the most
votes would be President, and the second highest would be Vice President.
2.
Describe four ways that were suggested to elect the President between 1808 and
1846.
In
1808 there was a proposal to choose the president by lot.
Candidates were to be chosen by lot from retiring Senators, and another
proposal added to this was to have each state elect a native son candidate.
In 1816, a direct vote plan was proposed by Senator Abner Lacok of PA.
In 1822 it was proposed that presidents be chosen by four regions on a
rotating basis. Republican
Charles Haynes of Georgia introduced the automatic plan in 1826, where all of
a state’s electoral votes would be cast for a candidate who received the
highest popular vote.
3.
Name five U.S. Presidents who were elected with less than a popular vote.
Abraham
Lincoln, James Garfield, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon.
4.
Describe the winner-take-all system. Which
states use this system?
In
the winner-take-all system whoever wins the popular vote in that state also
wins all of the electoral votes of that state.
This gives ethnic minorities and urban areas a lot of power; it is used
by every state but Maine and Nebraska.
5.
When do electors vote and when are the results known?
Electors
vote on the first Monday after the Second Wednesday in December.
Votes are counted in January before both houses and are officially
announced.
6.
What affect would substituting a direct popular vote for the Electoral College
have on a third party candidate? Why?
“It
would encourage minorities because there would be a greater probability that
the two major parties would not receive a majority.”
7.
Give four arguments for and against a direct vote system.
Four
arguments for the direct vote system would include:
it would extend the one person one vote principle and enhance the two
party system, it ensures that the winner of the popular vote would win the
office of president, it would reduce the chance of fraud, and it would
increase voter participation by putting the election in the hands of the
people.
Four
arguments against the direct vote system include: a candidate could win on the
votes of special interests, it gives less voice to poor voters represented by
the weighted urban vote, it increases the chance that the two major parties
would not receive a majority, and it weakens the powers of the states.
8.
Describe the differences between the district plan, the proportional plan, and
the winner-take-all plan.
In
the district plan, electoral votes are allocated by districts within the
various states. In the
proportional plan the state’s electoral votes are divided by the popular
vote received by each party. In
the winner take all plan the winner of the state’s popular vote takes all of
the state’s electoral votes.
9.
State the four points experts in 1969 agreed should be included in an ideal
plan for electing U.S. Presidents.
1.
The need for a quick decision and a clear-cut winner.
2.
The victor should be the people’s choice winner of the most popular vote.
3.
The president elect should have mandate to govern, a legitimacy, which comes
from a good margin of victory.
4.
The ideal system should undermine the two party system.
10.
Write a paragraph describing what is meant by [Crisis is Opportunity.]
The
concept of crisis being opportunity is one that has served to be true several
times. The ability of an elected
official to deal with a terrible situation in a positive light, is what causes
people to remember them as a great leader.
Lincoln, FDR, and others in their following are remembered as good
presidents because they took the necessary steps to get things started and
give people hope. Whether they
actually made a dramatic affect on solving the problem is not really as
important as convincing people that what they were doing was good.
Good presidents have always been able to get help from the people of
their country. With the
combination of hope and help, these presidents have been able to get the
support needed to get things done. IT
is this ability, that is the true meaning of “crisis is opportunity.”
If a leader can do this they have turned crisis into opportunity, and
in doing so have set their place in history as a great leader.