About the electoral college

The Electoral College

The electoral college was founded to shield the nation from the repercussions of illiterate and uninformed voting (Tóka, 2002). It also prohibits large-population states from getting an unfair influence. This was an attempt to strike a balance between the tyrannical majority and the minority’s interests. The voting process is being fully participated in by all nations. Before the 2016 election, only six electoral vote holders have failed in the general vote (Villegas, 2017). This indicates that the method might not be as faulty as opponents say. Modern technology has made the contemporary voter more informed because they can easily access information to the competencies and manifestos of all the competitors. The electoral college gives more power to those states that are not traditionally considered strongholds of either the Democratic or Republican parties.

What groups, states, and interests benefit from its use?

In US presidential elections, only a handful of states are technically regarded as determiners in the election (Elster, 2013). These states are not historically affiliated to the major parties. Presidential candidates have an enough time campaigning because they use history to gauge the states that are likely to be swayed and determine the elections. They minimize their activities in those that are either considered democrats or republicans historically.

Eliminating the Electoral College

The argument for protecting democracy from uneducated and uninformed voters has been weakened by the ability of the citizenry to access information to aspirants using technology. Therefore, it is time to eliminate the electoral college and rely on popular vote alone. The popular vote reflects the will of the people. An election that is held through the popular vote will ensure that the majority consents on who will rule them, which is one of the fundamentals of democracy.

References

Elster, J. (2013). Securities Against Misrule: juries, assemblies, elections. Cambridge University Press.

Tóka, G. (2002). Voter inequality, turnout and information: effects in a cross-national perspective.

Villegas, C. (2017). Electing the People’s President: The Popular Origins of the Electoral College. Perspectives on Political Science, 1-9.