CRC Political Science Should the Electoral College Be Abolished Discussion

Instructions:

1. Watch the video below: The Electoral College | Ron’s Office Hours | NPR
2. Research the positives and negatives of the electoral college.
3. By Wednesday at 11:59 pm use your research to discuss in 200 words or more whether you think the electoral college should remain or be abolished.
4. Comment on two classmate’s post’s.

Student 1 (Breshawn)- Hello everyone, after doing my research and watching the provided video, I believe that the electoral college should be held in place. There are several positives and negatives to having this college in place, but I feel that those ideas listed to be positives are things that hold much more value than it’s negatives. A negative that can be seen would be that the electoral college was established by the founding fathers to give certain groups of people more authority, but now in current time, a positive that can be seen would be the full analysis of the candidates intentions. If there was no electoral college in place the person to be the president of the county would be up to the popular vote. In many cases the popular vote is not aware of many of the opinions of candidates, so I feel that having this extra set of votes to determine the president is beneficial. Public opinion is heard and it is used to elect the candidate that will prove to be the most exceptional. Due to this I would say that the electoral college should remain in place, yes it might need a bit of reform due to the establishment of bigger states getting more votes, but when overlooking the little things is does stand for a good cause.

Student 2 (Tam)- Hello everyone!

The electoral college should remain because it is the best system for electing presidents because it forces candidates to appeal to the entire country; candidates cannot also assume the concerns of rural voters. By confirming the president’s victories, the electoral college creates a strong mandate for the president. The popular vote may undermine the president’s authority because the winning candidate may require a plurality of votes rather than a majority. The framers desired the electoral college because both the popular vote and the electoral college were thought to have flaws. It also preserved compromises such as the three-fifths clause and the big state, small state compromise, preventing vote splintering for candidates. The electoral college provides candidates with a competitive advantage that can promote national vision. It directs presidential politics through a two-party system, which is more significant than a multiparty system. It also lowers the overall cost of presidential campaigns. The electoral college is firmly established in the United States Constitution. It will be difficult for any country to start from scratch, and instituting a popular vote may be difficult because any laws will be altered. Replacing the electoral college would be difficult and time-consuming. It is not worth the time and effort to begin implementing change. The country should consider reforming three aspects of the presidential nomination process: debates, primaries, and conventions.