Electoral college - Essay Example

Electoral College was established in 1787, and is therefore as old as the US constitution. The US presidential election is always determined by the 538 members of the Electoral College. While debating over the constitution, Electoral College was defended by Alexander Hamilton claiming that the electors would bring much wisdom and knowledge to presidential selection. This is because a small number of individuals selected by the citizenry from the general mass most likely possess the discernment and information required for such complicated investigations. Thus many of the framers of the constitution viewed Electoral College as the protector of state power. Their understanding being that the electors sent by the individual states would most likely prevent the election of an individual who threatens to consolidate power within the federal government.
The Electoral College really favours the states, since it ensures there is more attention to the less populous states which would otherwise be at the risk of being sidelined and ignored by the presidential candidates. This means that if people elected the president directly, candidates would more likely shift their attention to population-rich states such as Texas, California and New York rather than small states like Nevada, Wisconsin and New Mexico. Another better argument for Electoral College is that it produces clear winners, and contrasts sharply with the popular vote which has always remained quite close in almost all presidential elections.
The Electoral College is a disadvantage to the individual voter since it violates the rule of one person, one vote, which actually would be the best rule of a vibrant modern democracy. All in all the Electoral College has always helped magnify the scope of the incoming candidate’s victory and for someone entrusted with the most high-profile job in the world, an additional boost of legitimacy cannot be underestimated.
Work Cited
http://www.marquette.edu/magazine/recent.php?subaction=showfull&id=1351616400
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2012/august/rakove-electoral-college-082012.html Read More