Kadoka High School
Kadoka, South Dakota
Teacher: Teresa Shuck
By Michelle Arment
Grade 11
The Electoral College is a process that has been part of our history for years. It provides a concrete way of determining our countries leaders. In our recent election there has been talk changing the election process to a popular vote election. I feel that this nation has relied on the Electoral College for years and it should not be changed. If this major process is changed it may lead to larger thing causing some of our rights as Americans to be taken away.
Throughout American history, the presidential election process has remained the same. We as Americans have relied on our founding father’s process of the Electoral College to elect our presidential candidate for centuries. Americans have found this process to be effective and efficient in meeting our countries needs. There have been a select few times when the Electoral College has caused some controversy, but for the most part it has proved to be sufficient in serving its purpose.
In our recent election, the United States has experienced some difficult decisions concerning the Proposals of changing the election process have arose. But if you were to consider how many years the Electoral College United States has been electing the president using the same process, it seems unreasonable to change what has been working for us for so many years.
If the Electoral College is allowed to be changed, then who knows what may be next? The reason our founding fathers developed the Constitution to be the way it is was to ensure that all is fair and that the people rule this nation. I think that the Constitution should never in any way be changed. If the Constitution is allowed to be changed, then we as Americans may slowly lose some of those rights that have been guaranteed us from the founding of this nation.
The Electoral College is a fair way to elect the president of our nation. It is also a good way to represent the population’s opinion. Some people have argued that it is not fair to elect a president based solely on the electoral votes. They may argue, “ what about the popular vote?” As we have learned throughout history, generally, the candidate who receives the most popular votes also receives the most electoral votes, which results in the people’s choice. Receiving the most popular votes and the most electoral votes commonly go hand-in-hand. The people of this nation are what are being represented in the election, and the Electoral College serves as an excellent way of representing the people.
The Electoral College provides a way for smaller states to be represented in a presidential election. One large coastal city may have a larger population than some of the smaller Midwestern states. So if our country were to switch to a popular vote election, one large city would have just as much influence on the election as an entire state. This would not be a fair way of representing the people’s opinions. In using the Electoral College process, each state is guaranteed a voice in the nation’s election. It gives states with even the smallest populations a voice in electing our nation’s leaders.
In using the Electoral College, candidates are forced to campaign throughout the entire United States, not just in the states with the large populations. Candidates must consider all states when running an effective campaign because winning only the largely populated states will not guarantee an election victory. This gives every state a fair look at the presidential candidate of their choice, allowing them to make decisions based on first hand knowledge of the candidates.
Throughout our American history we as Americans have made mistakes. With luck, in our future we may learn from our past mistakes and be able to continue on becoming wiser as we go. One thing we have learned is that what has been working for us in the past should definitely be part of what is in our future. The process of the Electoral College is something that has been the backbone of American culture for many, many years and should not be changed. Our Founding Fathers were wise and they took the time to determine just exactly what our countries needs are and these same principal’s still govern us today. So America needs to simply get past the controversies of today and realize that what we have going for us has gotten us this far and will be able to carry us through our future as a democratic nation.
- How and when did the United Sates elect a president and vice president of different parties? Name them and their respective parties.
In
1796, the United States elected John Adams, a Federalist, as president and Thomas
Jefferson, a Republican, as vice president. This
happened because, at that time, the ballots did not signify if the candidate was running
for vice president, or president, therefore the candidate with the most votes became
president and the candidate with the second most votes became vice president, regardless
of their political party.
- Describe four ways that were suggested to elect the President between 1808 and 1846.
In 1808 it was suggested by some that lot elect the president. In 1816, the first direct-vote plan was proposed to the constitution by Senator Abner Lacock, but was later defeated 21 to 12. This was disregarded because of the election of 1820 when John Quincy Adams was elected by one senator who gave him his only electoral vote. In 1826, Representative Charles Haynes of Georgia first introduced the automatic plan. In this proposal the president elect that won the popular vote in the state would receive all of the electoral votes in a winner-take-all system. In 1848, the Representative William Lawrence of New York formulated the plan, which would divide the electoral vote according to their popularity among the parties.
- Name five U.S. Presidents who were elected with less than a popular vote.
1824 John Quincy Adams 37 percent
1844 James Polk 49.6 percent
1848 Zachary Taylor 47.3 percent
1856 James Buchanan 45.6 percent
1860 Abraham Lincoln 39.8 percent
- Describe the winner-take-all system. Which states use this system?
This is a system in which a states popular vote determines all of the electoral votes. This system is considered in efficient because it gives too much leverage to maybe only a few more popular votes, which leaves many people unsatisfied. This system is used in every state but Maine.
- Why do electors vote and when are the results known?
They meet to elect on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. In January after the votes are counted in both houses.
Substituting direct vote allows third party candidates to receiving only electoral votes which the generally receive none of. The electoral votes generally go to the two most popular candidates, but if the election were switched to direct vote the third party candidate would then receive some recognition.
7. Give
four arguments for and against a direct vote system.
For
1. This would give a third party candidate a chance to get at least a few electoral votes.
2. It would allow for states to divide their electoral votes instead of giving all votes to one candidate when the margin of victory was small.
3. It would represent more of the population’s opinion on a close victory margin also.
4. The Electoral plan also becomes outdated frequently with a changing population and therefore may not accurately represent a state’s population.
Against
- The Electoral college represents well the population’s opinion because it is based on the states population therefore states with greater population are given more power than smaller states.
- The system of Electoral College has proven effective in the past. The House of Representatives has only been called on twice in the past to determine the election, in 1800 and 1825.
- The Electoral vote system has provided stability in the U.S. government for years.
- The Electoral College is a quick way to determine a winner based on the majority vote.
8.
Describe the differences between the district plan, the proportional plan and the
winner-take-all plan.
10. Write a paragraph describing what is meant by one of the
following: Crisis is opportunity
This means that during times in which our nation has suffered hardships great leaders have
often came through to lead this country. The
great leaders who have helped to shape this country shined through during some of the
notions darkest times to become prominent figures in history. Often it takes a crisis to either bring out the
best or to display the worst in a man’s character.
9.State the four points experts in 1969 agreed
should be included in an ideal plan for electing
U.S. President.