Electoral College vs. Popular Vote

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Electoral College vs. Popular Vote

When given this assignment I had no clue what topic I might choose. I waited and waited until the recent elections blew up in my face. This past election was a learning experience for me because I just turned 18. This was the first year I could ever vote and a weird election like this occurred. I noticed how many people were actually very disturbed with how Gore won the popular vote but will most likely lose the election only because he couldn't win enough electoral votes in one state.

The Electoral College was designed in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention. A variety of ideas were originally brought to attention. Two significant and highly regarded options were a) Congress selects the President and b) the popular vote. Both ideas were disregarded. Having Congress elect the President would give the legislature complete control over him (6: 159-162). The idea of the people and only the people voting for the President was eliminated because the founding fathers of the U.S. Government felt that normal people would not be able to vote for the best President in an intelligent manner. Despite the fact that many of the original convention members thought that the popular vote would be the best option, there were still too many that opposed the idea (Glennon 7). George Mason, a former political officer in the 1800's, states that a it would be "as unnatural to refer the choice of a proper character for chief Magistrate to the people, as it would, to refer a trial of colours to a blind man" (qtd. In Glennon 7).

I became very interested about the whole system of the college and thought that I could present an argument about how it's really outdated and could use a big change. And so ...

... middle of paper ...

...Democracy 23 October 2000

Glennon, Michael J. When No Majority Rules: The Electoral College Presidential

Succession. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Inc., 1992.

Kesler, Charles R. The Federalist Papers. Ed. Clinton Rossiter. New York: Penguin Inc.,

1961.

Longely, Lawrence D., and Neal R. Peirce. The Electoral College Primer.

New Haven: Yale University, 1996.

MacBride, Roger L. The American Electoral College. Idaho: Caxton Printers, 1953.

Margasak, Larry. "Florida Voters take to Web." Times Union 10 Nov. 2000: A16

"Electoral College." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2000. 10 Nov. 2000

Wechsler, Alan. "Election Drama a Great Lesson." Times Union 10 Nov. 2000: A16

"Electoral College." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1990 ed.

Yancey, Roy. "States' Gore Electors Question Electoral College system."

Times Union 10 Nov. 2000: A9

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