The Electoral College

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Recommended: Essay over the electoral college versus the popular vote

Mackenzie Marquess
Professor Beange
Govt 2305
23 October 2013
Electoral College Outline
The Electoral College is a system that elects the president, it is possible for a presidential candidate to win the popular votes of the citizens and still lose the election because of the electoral college, a prime example of this rare happening is the election of 2000 where George Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore but still won the votes of the electoral college 271 to 266. The Electoral College can best be explained in an article from the Huffington post which states “Every four years, voters go to the polls and select a candidate for President and Vice-President … the candidate who wins the majority of votes in a state wins that state's electoral votes.” (Soni) This is true for all but two states, Nebraska and Maine, where votes can go to both parties using a proportional representation form. The Electoral College was included in the constitution because although there were concerns about the inability of the people to accurately choose a national candidate, it was mainly put into practice to protect the highest office from control of the masses. The Electoral College is a crucial check on what would be just the unchecked will of the people. The way the Electoral College is designed is to show the views of the people while also allowing states as a whole to be recognized during the times of elections. This is not the only “check” we have placed on the people. While the winner takes all portion of the Electoral College seems to work on the outside, once the façade is gone all that is seen is a corrupt portion of the system that silences the people and holds states above them, the purpose of this system is to allow both to be heard, th...

... middle of paper ...

...ching systems because they are currently benefited by winner take all. Texas is mainly republican thus that winner takes all the electoral votes, leaving the minorities voice silenced.

Works Cited

"How the Electoral College Works." Public Broadcasting System. N.p., n.d. Web.

Kimberling, William C. "The Electoral College” Federal Election
Commission. 22 Oct. 2013 .
Oppenheimer, Danny. "Eliminate the Electoral College." Huffington Post 21 Sept. 2012.

Soni, Jimmy. "What Is The Electoral College? How It Works And Why It Matters."The
Huffington Post. 06 Nov. 2012. TheHuffingtonPost.com. 16 Oct. 2013 .

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