Rockridge
High School
Taylor
Ridge, Illinois
Teacher:
Barbara Downey
If
It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
By Rikki Hofer
12th grade
I think Abraham Lincoln pretty well summed it up when he said
America’s Democratic System is “government of the people, by the people,
and for the people.” Isn’t
that what we want for our country? We
need a government that allows the people to be represented as equally and
fairly as possible. The only way
the people can rule is to reinforce a system already in progress.
The Electoral College has been in effect for over two hundred years; it
should continue because it is fair to the people, it helps to reform campaign
spending, and it enforces the importance of winner-take-all in the election
process.
The Electoral College is fair because it distributes the power of the
people equally throughout the United States.
Each state is given an elector for each Representative and Senator.
In addition, Washington D.C. receives three electoral votes.
The Representatives and Senators who represent us in the Electoral
College are determined by a general election that takes place on the Tuesday
following the first Monday in November. The
people in each state vote for the slate of electors representing their choice
for President and Vice-President. Finally,
on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December the electors go to
their state’s capitol and vote for the people’s choice of candidates.
The issue of campaign finance reform has always been a highly debated
topic. Republican Senator John
McCain of Arizona has a plan to impose heavy limitations on the solicitation
of campaign contributions. Senator
McCain’s reform proposal includes a ban on soft money and stricter
regulations on issue ads. Another
step toward returning power to the people is to require that the money being
contributed to a specific campaign originate within the country.
This would eliminate overseas funding.
For instance, in 1996 President William Jefferson Clinton had a
Buddhist Temple fund-raiser. Campaign
finance reform is the most important step Congress can take to restore
citizens’ belief that our government is a government for the people.
America needs to be reassured that our government does, indeed, belong
to the citizens and not to the largest campaign contributors.
In order for the election process to be fair and effective, the
winner-take-all system needs to be enforced across the United States.
Presently the winner-take-all system is in effect in forty-eight of the
fifty United States. The only two
states refusing to accept this plan are Maine and Nebraska.
As far as I’m concerned, the numbers speak for themselves.
The winner-take-all system must be working since there are only two
states that do not enforce it. This
system is good for America because it gets politicians to visit a variety of
cities and counties within a state to gain its popular vote.
Winner-take-all forces candidates to campaign in more rural areas
because they are trying to win a particular electoral vote, thus making them
more acquainted with the American public.
By using the winner-take-all strategy and reforming campaign spending,
the United States of America has a voting system that is fair to the people.
Why should the American public question a system that works?
The reinforcement of the Electoral College is the only way to ensure a
government representative of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Works
Cited
“Campaign
for America.” 15 Dec. 2000
Finance
Reform, Campaign. “Taming the
System.” 18 Dec. 2000
Questions
to be answered after the required reading has been completed:
1.
How
& when did the United States elect a president & vice president of
different parties? Name them & their respective parties.
In
the election of 1796, by decision of the Electoral College, a president &
vice president were chosen. John Adams (Federalist) was elected president
& Thomas Jefferson (Republican) was elected vice president.
2.
Describe
four ways that were suggested to elect the President between 1808 & 1846.
In
1808, a proposal was made to choose the President by lot.
In 1816, the first direct vote plan was proposed & defeated.
In 1822, a suggestion was made that the President should be
chosen by four religions on a rotating basis.
In 1826, an automatic plan was proposed which stated that the
electoral votes from each state would automatically be cast in favor of the
candidate receiving the highest popular vote.
3.
Name
five U.S. Presidents who were elected with less than a popular vote.
James
Garfield, John Quincy Adams, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, & James Buchanan
were all elected with less than a popular vote.
4.
Describe
the winner-take-all system. Which
states use this system?
In
the winner-take-all system the candidate with the majority of the popular vote
is awarded all electoral votes for that state.
This system is valid in every state except Maine.
5.
When do electors vote & when are the results known?
Congress
determines when the electors are selected & also the day they vote, which
is the same throughout the United States.
The day set by Congress is the first Monday after the second Wednesday
in December. The votes for both
Houses are counted in January & the results are officially announced.
6.
What effect would substituting a direct popular vote for the Electoral
College have on third party candidates? Why?
By
using the direct vote process the third party’s chances for election would
increase greatly. The third
party, although generally receiving a good portion of the popular vote, very
rarely receives any electoral votes. This
occurs because there are usually not enough third party votes cast in a small
enough proximity for them to gain electoral votes under the winner-take-all
system.
7.
Give four arguments for & against a direct vote system.
By
using the direct vote system the people have more say in an election;
therefore every vote is crucial to the outcome.
When using the Electoral College system, you don’t cast your vote
directly for the president; you are instead voting for someone to vote for you
& hopefully cast their vote on your behalf.
In a direct vote, you vote directly for the ideas you support.
The winner-take-all system is completely eliminated when you use the
direct vote system.
When
you use the Electoral College the percentage of incompetence is significantly
less. The Electoral College
eliminates competition from the third party.
The Electoral College enforces the winner-take-all system.
The people casting votes in the Electoral College use research to
validate their decisions.
8.
Describe
the difference between the district plan, the proportional plan, & the
winner-take-all plan.
By
using the proportional plan, a small homogeneous state has the potential to
carry more clout than a large, diverse state.
Although this is true, it doesn’t satisfy any group.
The district plan, on the other hand, encourages minor party candidates
by giving them reassurance that they would have a fair chance at a few
electoral votes. Finally, the
winner-take-all plan favors the Democratic & Republican candidates, which
makes it nearly impossible for a third party candidate to contend.
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 & a clear-cut winner.
2.
The victor should be the people’s choice with the most popular votes.
3.
The president-elect should have good margin of victory, or mandate, to
govern.
4.
The ideal system should not undermine the two-party system.
10.
Paragraph:
Crisis is opportunity
Crisis,
although hard to face at first, can develop into one of the greatest
inspirations of a person’s life. When
faced with a crisis, people sometimes become more acquainted with their inner
selves, thus allowing their natural instincts to shine through.
The decisions made in this manner have a way of either soaring or
plummeting. Many of our
country’s greatest leaders, when faced with similar situations have
excelled. For example, Franklin
D. Roosevelt led our country through the Great Depression & is the only
president ever to be elected for more than two terms.
Crisis breeds opportunity. Some
people just choose to capitalize on it.
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