Kadoka High School
KadokaSouth Dakota
Teacher: Teresa Shuck
The
Election Process
By Chris Letellier
Grade 11
There are many good things about the election process. I think that having the popular vote is a good thing. I also think that the Electoral College is a good idea. I am pleased with our electoral process. With a few minor changes it would be pleasing to everyone. There are different ways to tackle this situation. So we have to look at it from all different angles.
The one major change that I would make would be I would make every state have one vote in the Electoral Colleges, instead of states having different amount of votes according to the states population. I don’t really think that is fair. Yes, some of those states have a larger population than South Dakota, but that doesn’t mean that they should have any more say in what goes on. If every state just had one vote, than that first candidate to 26 votes would win. I think that this would dramatically change or electoral process in a very good way. So no state would be able to have any more sway in the vote one way or another.
Some people say that the process should just go so that the person who won the popular vote would win the election. I see some major problems with that. Yes, in a democracy people rule, but look what happened in Florida this year. That is something that we could expect to happen almost every year if we went by just the popular vote. There would be someone that we get in there that would be a sore loser like Gore was this year, and they could challenge the votes until the day that they die. That is just one of the major problems that I see with changing the election process. Another in voting would be a more important thing. Some of the small towns that count the votes themselves may, by accident, send in the votes for the wrong person and cost someone the election. Another thing that may happen if we just elect people by the popular vote is a lot of coverage. The debates and the press conferences would have to be broadcast nation wide; even more than they are right now.
Some people would like to keep the election process the some. I think that is a good idea in some viewpoints. The Electoral College is a good idea and needs to say the same. I think that we should keep the popular vote too. Because then we can see if everyone like the person that won or not, but I think that the number of votes has to change. If we kept the election process the some of the people in the U.S. will not like that. They will always bring up the subject about what happened this year is just something that has been going to happen for a long time and this year is the first year it happened. If the one candidate that lost the first time would have bowed out and admitted that he lost a ling time ago this whole thing wouldn’t have been such a big deal.
I think that if the election process stays the same with no changes we may run into some problems. A lot of people will fight to change it, and not believe that the president that we have is the right one in office. There is also another way to look at it. If this process has worked for so many years then why change it. The reason it has stayed the same for so many years is because it has worked well. There also hasn’t been to many problems with the system.
There are two main ways to look at changing the election process. It all depends on the way that you see fit. If you think that changing the process is the right thing that you should fight for that. I personally think that changing the number of votes aloud by each state in the Electoral College is the only change that should be made. It all depends on the way that you think the process should be.
Singer
Foundation Questions
1. How and when did the United States
elect a president and vice president of different parties?
John Adams was the president and
Thomas Jefferson was the vice president. This
happened because the ballot did not clarify which was for president and which was for vice
president. John Adams was a federalist, and
Jefferson was a republican.
2. Describe four ways that were
suggested to elect the President between 1808 and 1846?
On
was to elect a president by lot. These
presidents were to be retiring Senators. Another
would be to elect a Native-Son candidate. Another
was the automatic plan whereas all of states electoral votes would automatically be cast
for the candidate who received the highest popular vote.
A direct vote plan was proposed by Abner Locock and was defeated 21 to 12. In 1820 James Monroe proposed the plan of the
Unanimous vote in the Electoral College.
3. Name five U.S. Presidents that were
elected with less than a popular vote?
J.
Polk
Z. Taylor
W. Wilson
Harry Truman
J. Kennedy
4. Describe the winner-take-all system?
It is a system where all the people who get all the votes get all the electoral votes. The winner-take-all system is used in every state but Maine.
5. When do electors vote and when are
the results known?
They
vote on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. In January the votes are counted before both
Houses and the results are officially announced.
6. What affect would substituting a
direct popular vote for the Electoral College have on third party candidates?
The
third party candidate doesn’t get enough votes so everyone in the Electoral College
has to vote for the person who got all the votes. So
if someone in the Electoral College wanted to vote for then they couldn’t.
7. Give four arguments for and against
a direct vote system?
The
population for the person would win. A person
who is favored should win. It gives the 3rd
party a better chance. It allows people to have who they wanted for president. Bigger populated states would have more control
than little states. Some of the first
presidents have narrowly won by this system. This
way 1 party can’t dominate over another just because 1 city is largely populated. The winner should get all the electoral votes
because they won them fair and square.
A. The district plan wants the
president to be elected directly by popular vote. The
proportional plan wants to give out electoral votes awarding to the percentage of people
that voted for them. The winner take all
plan gives all the electoral votes to the person with the highest percentage.
B. A way that all states are equal. A way that the popular vote helps determines the
president. A way that the 3rd party on gets
into the election places better.
8. Describe the differences between the
district plan, the proportional plan and the winner-take-all vote system?
The district plan is a plan that divides voting places into districts. The proportional plan uses the proportional of all
the votes to that gets credit. The
winner-take-all is whomever wins get everything.
9. State the four points experts in 1969 agreed
should be included in an ideal plan for election U.S. Presidents?
10. Write a paragraph describing what is meant by one
of the following:
Crisis
is opportunity
When a place is in crisis there are many
opportunities to be taken. There is mass
confusion and no one is paying any attention. One
could come in and say that you have a solution and you would be surprised how many people
would follow you. They are looking for a
leader and if you step into that role they will accept you.
That is why you must be ready for anything.