Newell-Fonda
High School
Newell,
Iowa
Teacher:
Connie Doonan
The
Election Process
By Wade Brower
12th grade
Everyone
who voted in this year’s election figured that it was a guaranteed, almost positive
thing that their votes were going to be counted. With
everything that people have to worry about, now they have to worry about our government. Like the lives of today’s workers isn’t
hard, or chaotic enough. Well, after the
election the people never figured that their votes might have not even counted. Now everyone has one more thing to worry about
amongst all other things. The government is
shown as a high and mighty ruling body. We
the people feel that the government shouldn’t have a problem they can’t solve. Americans need the feeling of being watched over
by a higher power, someone protecting them from harm, and problems that might occur. The people of the world became too dependant on
the government, and unfortunately everyone got their lunch handed to them. Not one single person in this world is perfect,
and there will be mistakes along the way that no one can prevent. Unfortunately, everybody blames the government and
the Electoral College, not themselves.
If
changing the election process is what people are thinking will solve the problem, well
maybe they’re wrong. People are just
upset because there was a little problem. Let’s
say that someone voted for Gore for president. In this election if the country had changed
the election process to Direct Voting, then Gore would have won. Direct Voting is whoever has the popular vote
would win. Gore had the popular vote but
didn’t have the electoral vote to win. A
candidate needs a majority, which are 270. Even
if the country argued enough to get a change, then what makes them think that there
wouldn’t be a mistake if it were just Direct Voting.
There will be arguments either way, and there will never be a majority that is
happy enough to leave it alone. The Electoral
College is doing just fine and leaving it the way it is wont hurt a darn thing. The people in Florida complain because they felt
that their vote didn’t count. If the
country switched to Direct Vote, doesn’t everyone realize that the margin of error is
just the same as before? If deciding between
direct vote and the Electoral College, the Electoral College is looking more appealing. The Electoral College has worked for so many years
that one or two mess-ups can’t be enough to make such a drastic change. Having a direct vote would almost make it seem
like there would be more room for human or mechanical error. Can anyone imagine having the whole country having
a recount? There would be total chaos.
Granted there could be the same margin of error with the Electoral College but with only
five or six mishaps, can voters hardly complain.
The
spending for the campaigns tends to be unreal. Whoever
raises more will most likely win the election. At
least 77% of the money spent in federal election campaigns comes from one percent of the
people, and at the same time the champion fundraiser wins in the majority of races. Soft money is when a corporation gives money
to a candidate and the corporation expects the candidate to pull for them on a certain
issue. The people of the United States are
voting for a president and his views on the issues, not to see how much money he can take
and say what other people think. Getting rid
of the soft money that is given out would stop the big corporations from gaining all the
time. The never-ending quest to be on top
will never quit. Why not throw some money at
a candidate and sit back and watch as he puts in a good word for the company. Some people can be bought, and that’s what is
wrong with America. The banning of the soft
money would make voting and having a president more real.
There is a deflating process that occurs after a president gets into office and
starts his term. If the country had complete
trust in the president then this deflating process might not happen or at least not to the
extreme.
Every
vote should count and everyone’s voice should be heard. But with the way things are going now, only the
large businesses are gaining. Never
underestimate the little man and as people found out in this year’s election, every
vote does count.
Answers
To Required Reading Questions
1) How and when did the United States elect a
president and vice president of different parties? Name
them and their respective parties.
Everyone voted
from state to state and they voted individually for each candidate. In 1796 a president and a vice president were
elected, but from different parties. John
Adams the president was a Federalist and Thomas Jefferson the vice was a Republican.
They voted by lot, direct-vote, electoral
college, and automatic plan.
1824- John Quincy Adams
1844- J. Polk
1848- Zach Taylor
1860- A. Lincoln
1948- Harry Truman
The winner-take-all system gives too much leverage to a few popular votes in
low turnout states, small states and large pivotal states, which in turn gives ethnic
minorities, and others who tend to congregate in urban areas, power beyond their numbers
in presidential elections. Every state has this but Maine.
Results from the popular vote are known in November.
The first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. In January the votes are counted before both
Houses and the results are officially announced.
It encourage third party strategy to win concessions from major candidates.
It would do away with the elector problem, it would make each vote count,
reduce the chance of fraud, and encourage greater participation and place the election
more fully in to the hands of the people where it belongs.
Arguments against. No advantage for
the two-party systems, voting would mean more and be more important than population, it
would encourage minority parties because there would not receive a majority, the poor
non-voter would have less of a voice.
The district plan would
reverse the system which has always ensured that the winner in our presidential contests
has received a greater margin in electoral than in popular votes. The proportional plan would distort the nationwide
poplar vote total. The winner-take-all system
gives all the votes to who ever has the highest percent.
The need for a quick decision
and clear-out winner, the victor should be the peoples choice winner have a mandate to
govern, a legitimacy which comes from a good margin of victory, and the ideal system
should not undermine the two-party sytem.
10) The Shrinkage Phenomenon
is a mysterious effect that diminishes prospects’ stature as they enter the race. There is also the obverse effect, an optical
illusion called the sidelines Magnifier. When
the Comomus and Bradleys and Nunns stay out wrapped in the dignity of duty or humility,
they seem so much grander than those scurrying after votes and donations.