Electoral College

Ideas from the Constitutional Convention

1) Congress would choose the president and VP 2) state legislatures would select the Pres. and VP

Ideas for reform

1) choose electors from congressional districts. Each state would have two electoral votes plus one vote for each district in the state. The candidate winning the district would get the one vote. 2) presidential candidates would win the same share of a state's electoral vote as they received of the states popular vote 3) do away with the college and have a direct popular vote

Major arguments for the electoral college

1) the president receives a mandate from the states and is not elected by just the most populated states or metropolitan areas 2) it contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president 3) it reflects the desire of the Founders to have the presidential choice based on more than popularity or name recognition 4) it has worked for over 200 years and several elections. Proposals for change have failed because the alternatives appear to cause more problems than the electoral college does 5) it helps to maintain the principle of federalism. It allows the states to have a direct role in selecting the president 6) it contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two party system 7) it enhances the status of minority interests 8) people have more of a voice or voting power in 51 separate elections than in one national election

Major arguments against the Electoral College

1) winner take all system makes it possible for a candidate who loses the popular vote to win the electoral vote 2) there is a possibility of electing a minority president 3) s 3rd party candidate would cause the election to be thrown into the HOR by pulling away votes so no candidate receives a majority 4) the Electoral College fails to accurately reflect the public will 5) the risk of the so called "faithless" electors 6) the possible role of the electoral college in depressing voter turnout 7) does not allow 3rd party candidates to have a chance in government 8) critics say that the electoral college system robs voters of their power because candidates often ignore smaller states with fewer votes 9) goes against the one person, one vote principle 10) over represents rural areas