American Government and Politics Today - Research Paper Example

American Government and Politics Today Introduction An electoral college is a body of persons selected to elect a president and vice president on behalf of a large group of people. Many federal and State governments adopt this system of election. An example is the United States of America where the primary election is first conducted in the Electoral College to choose the president. This system has received a lot of criticism from many squatters in the world, who are calling for its abolition and replacement with system that involves a direct and popular election process where presidents are chosen on a nationwide voting process. However some proponents support the electoral college as a good system and therefore need no reform. This essay explores the proponents’ arguments for electoral college Reforms and why some people think it should not be reformed. Electoral College Reform The system of electing the presidents through the use of an electoral college is considered an outdated mechanism of an electoral process, and therefore need to be reformed. It is seen to deny the citizens the voice to choose a leader of their choice as the selected group forming the electoral colleges that represent the larger group may be compromised and not elect the leader who is popular with the rest of citizens (Formisano 193). It is also prone to interference by the independent candidates. It should therefore be reformed and replaced by a system of direct election of a presidential candidate with an instant runoff if the clear winner is not produced. This will give every citizen a chance to vote and elect a leader of their choice. The electoral college system also needs a reform in order to replace it with a system where the electorate are allowed to vote directly with a popularity rule system where every voter will be given an opportunity to cast one vote for a preferred candidate. The candidate who gets the most votes will be declared the automatic winner. This system is seen to reflect the will of the people as opposed to the Electoral College system where voting is a representation of third parties. Direct voting system will also eliminate the Electoral College’s system that essentially dilutes the votes of the people as it is prone to compromise and betrayal by the third parties. The Electoral College system needs to be reformed to such an extent as to be replaced with a system that is democratic; one that reflects the people’s wishes. This is because with the Electoral College system which in some cases involves maximization of power by assigning all the representative votes to the winner with most votes is so undemocratic. This in most cases result in a situation where a candidate who wins the nationwide popular votes, still looses in an electoral college. This has been witnessed in the United States elections in recent years (Stromberg 769). The electoral college system only see presidential candidates concentrate on key vote battle grounds, this makes them consider only the interests of a few voters found on those key states ignoring other states. It should therefore be replaced with the direct popular voting system where the candidates are forced to carry out vigorous campaigns across the whole country. This will promote democracy and allow for equal participation across the country. It will also promote high voter turn-outs and eliminate voter apathy associated with the electoral colleges system. This is because voters will be assured that their votes make a difference in choosing the candidate of their choice. However, reforming the electoral system is arguably a bad idea according to Rohwer (215). The proponent of the electoral college system argue that the system avoids the instance of a presidential run off. In many instances a winner is declared as soon as the result shows that the candidate has the majority votes as the provisional results in most cases are ignored. The direct popular system of election is also seen to interfere with the federal system of governances. The electoral colleges’ gives chance to the different states to vote and choose their preferred candidate, this promote devolution of power to this states which is in line with the federal system of government. The system of using an electoral college is advantageous because vote counting becomes easier and faster as compared to the direct election system where every voter is given a chance to vote (Knight 54). The electoral colleges allow the states to participate in the election of their preferred candidate. This is an important aspect in the federal state governance. It also reduces instances of too many recounts in the case of presidential run-offs as the recounts in most cases will be confined to few states as opposed to the all country if the election process involved a direct election of all voters across the country. The electoral colleges initiate an environment that involves vigorous campaign by the presidential candidates across the country. This promotes regional cohesiveness and recognition all the states. It also increases the legitimacy of an election process as the typical winner is allocated all the votes, making the victory to be considered conclusive reducing incidences of rejection of an election result in a hotly contested election. The Fundamental Differences between the Ideologies of Liberalism and Conservatism Liberalism is a political ideology that recognizes the fundamental freedom of speech, religion and association and the individual’s right to own property. Liberalism is opposed to the authoritarian governance. Conservatism on the other hand is a political and social ideology that supports the maintenance of status quo. Several studies have been carried out in an attempt to find out the ideological differences of those who practice liberalism and those of conservatism (Knight 59). In a liberal system of governance the liberty and rights of an individual is taken as most important. There is belief in democracy that guarantees a free and fair election, freedom of religion and the right to own property as an individual. The conservative system on the other hand is based on traditional beliefs and focuses on those ideologies that preserve it. It is also based on authoritarian rule based on preserving the status quo without giving room to democracy and liberty. The conservative ideologies are based on the principle that every individual have a right to defend himself, by using any means like taking law into your own hand, it gives an individual the right to bear arms and freedom to religious beliefs whereas, the liberal ideologies tries to look into ways of preventing chances of an occurrence of criminal like activities. Their approach is based on diplomacy to eliminate the arms at the hands of citizen which may be used to inflict war and criminal activities. Their approach is therefore democratic as opposed to the authoritarian rule of the conservatives. The conservatives believe on the ideology that fighting and defeating an adversary before they strike is the best strategy of protecting the citizens of a given state. They believe on a very pragmatic approach to problem solving and would do anything possible to protect its people before the enemy can strike. However, the liberals hold the notion that human rights are important and as such, any conflict arising should be solved democratically by following the due process of the law. This is in an attempt to protect their image as they are opposed to any form of authoritarian governance (Graham and Haidt 1029-1046). The conservatives posses an ideological belief on liberty to the people, where individuals are accorded the freedom to develop and use their abilities and potential without any form of interference either from the state or other citizens. This is in line with their belief on human rights and dignity. The conservatives however, do not believe on the human liberty but instead apply the authoritarian system, where dictatorship is applied, in determining the affairs of the citizens. Conservatism ideologies are seen to be practical in nature, and as such, there policies are seen to work. The policies of the government are supposed to maintain the status quo and should only be changed after consultation with the majority of the public. They do not therefore; pursue policies which they believe may not work. This is in contrast with the liberalists principles that are followed as a mater of prestige. There policies are therefore seen not to be pragmatic in nature and entails complacencies. The liberals’ policies are proactive in nature and are not influenced by public pressure as is the case with the conservative system (Taylor 538). The conservatives bear the belief that the size of the government is not supposed to be too big, to cut down the countries debts by keeping the taxes low. Liberalists on the other hand believe on the large government structure that imposes high taxes to its citizens, as the amounts of debts incurred by the nation is not an issue to them. In their view the rich are supposed to pay higher taxes to the government (Callahan 2760). The social conservatives tend to support the formation of a free market that enhances fair trade between countries and individuals. This promotes the traditional welfare and values like religion. The liberal system, however, does not support the free market and fair trade. They are also opposed to the promotion of religious beliefs as is the case with the conservatives, as they believe that religious faith is a natural occurrence and should not be influenced by the state. The liberal governance system holds the separation of powers as a core characteristic, where responsibility of governance is distributed among executive, legislature and the judicial arms of the govanment (Callahan 54).The separation of powers among these arms of the government ensure better services are offered to the people. The conservatives however, do not believe on the separation of powers as they are capitalist and believe on authoritarian system. Conclusion In conclusion, the debate on whether to adopt the liberalist system of governance or the conservative system still form part and parcel of the political scenes around the world, especially in the united States of America, India and China. However the system of governances to adopt is supposed to be left to the people to decide. Work Cited Callahan, David. Fortunes of Change: The Rise of the Liberal Rich and the Remaking of America, 2010. Print. Formisano, Roland. For the people: American populist movements from the Revolution to the 1850s. 2008. Print. Graham J, Haidt J, “Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 96(5). 2009. Knight K. Liberalism and conservatism: Measures of political attitudes. 1999. Print. Rohwer, Fuentes. & Charles, Guy-Uriel. The Law of Presidential Elections: Issues in the Wake of Florida 2000: The Electoral College, the Right to Vote, and Our Federalism: A Comment on a Lasting Institution. 2001. Print. Stromberg D. How the Electoral College influences campaigns and policy: the probability of Being Florida, The American Economic Review, Vol. 98. 2008. Print. Taylor P. The United Nations in the 1990s: Proactive cosmopolitanism and the issue of Sovereignty. 1999. Print. Read More