Should the Electoral College be abolished - Research Paper Example

?Should the Electoral College be abolished? INTRODUCTION An electoral college is a group of electors who are en d to elect a nominee in a particular office. The concept of Electoral College is commonly practiced in the United States by American voters to elect President and Vice-President. Often Electoral College signifies different entities or organizations wherein each entity or organization represented by a specific number of voters or electors with votes weighted in a particular way. Most of the time, the electors are simply considered as important people whose knowledge would ideally provide a better option than the larger body of decision makers (Veldman, “Abolish the Electoral College”). In relation to the modern day political scenario, Electoral College can be identified to be playing extremely crucial role for selecting an ideal representatives. However, this concept has been equated with criticism and arguments over the system of direct popular vote. The most obvious arguments against the practice of Electoral College is related with its anti-democratic characteristics. On the other hand it is widely supported on the ground of two party system and federalism (Veldman, “Abolish the Electoral College”). THESIS STATEMENT The primary purpose of this paper is to lay down an emphasis on both sides of the argument of the issues namely: Should the Electoral College be abolished? DISCUSSION The topic represents one of the widely practiced political functions which create a considerable impact in the context of politics and elections. However, the greater emphasis will be laid upon the fact that whether the Electoral College be abolished or not? Analysis of this topic will provide an-in-depth insights to the present scenario of Electoral College and its related pros and cons. Nevertheless, the main concern lies upon the fact that whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not? This topic is considered to be one of the widely discussed topics, especially in the US context and in the recent times, it has also raised numerous debates that have cornered the political system to a large extent. This system has taken the overall political arrangement in a one-dimensional manner and it is giving rise to lot of political interventions that is not favored by most of the citizens (Veldman, “Abolish the Electoral College”; International Debate Education Association, “Debates”). However, one of the major arguments for the Electoral College is that it magnifies the margin of victory and produces clear winners. The Electoral College is also supported on the ground that it is equated with federalism while the direct popular election does not promote federalism. In addition, the Electoral College system is viewed to eliminate the fraud associated with direct popular voting system. It can be argued that the system of Electoral College is ideal with respect to the interest of nation as well as its citizen (Heyrman, “The Electoral College: A Critical Analysis”). Correspondingly, it can be argued that this system discourages the emergence of small and dangerous third parties. It has been viewed that this system promotes political stability and reduces political conflicts to a great extent. Furthermore, it can be stated that the proper utilization of this system, facilitate in overall welfare of the nation’s political system while its abolition can be viewed as threat to federalism. Besides, it has been observed that this system promotes benefit of having clear results and legitimate government (Williams, “Reforming the Electoral College: Federalism, Majoritarianism, and the Perils of Sub constitutional Change”). It has been reported on number of occasion the Electoral College is an outdated system and has potentially less relevancy in terms of modern political system. Subsequently, it can be argued that Electoral College is considered to be anti-democratic in nature and has arbitrary effects on the political set-up. It can be stressed that selection of representatives by Electoral College is associated with arbitrary choices. Additionally, it can be advocated that Electoral College is not necessary for promoting two party systems. In this regard, it can be argued that neither the Electoral College nor the member of district is able to eliminate the third parties system completely (Heyrman, “The Electoral College: A Critical Analysis”). It can be further argued that the Electoral College system of counting votes by States are more complicated and may cause recount problems as well. However, it can be argued that the primary consideration cannot be made based on such aspects as the deeper analysis of the concerned topic reveals that the majority of citizens in the US feel that Electoral College is required to be abolished (Veldman, “Abolish the Electoral College”; International Debate Education Association, “Debates”). A graphical representation of public opinion regarding the Abolition of Electoral College is being depicted here under: Source: (Facts on File News Services, “Update: The Electoral College”). CONCLUSION From the above analysis it has been studied that Electoral College is one of the most debatable topics concerning with the overall political system especially in the context of the US. Based on the pros and cons of this particular system, there are numerous arguments that have been duly notified regarding Electoral College. Also, there were few factors that seem to favor this particular system in the overall context of the US. Correspondingly, it can be ascertained that the Electoral College is regarded to be anti-democratic and arbitrary in nature. Furthermore, it does not guarantee from federalism. As far as the promotion of two parties system is concerned, it can be argued that this system do not necessarily discourages the emergence of third parties system. Moreover, this system also fails to assure in overcoming the limitations and complication imposed by the direct popular voting system. Consequently, it can be affirmed that the Electoral College is less convincing in terms of its practice in modern political scenario and can be firmly argued that this system is not an ideal system to choose President or any other representatives. Hence, it can be strongly advocated that Electoral College needs to be abolished. Works Cited Heyrman, John. The Electoral College: A Critical Analysis. Department of Political Science, 2003. Web. 25 Sep. 2013. Print. “Update: The Electoral College.” How the Electoral College Works. Facts on File News Services, 2013. Web. 23 Sep. 2013. “Debates.” This House Would Abolish the Us Electoral College. International Debate Education Association, n.d. Web. 23 Sep. 2013. < http://idebate.org/debatabase/debates/politics/house-would-abolish-us-electoral-college> Veldman, Michael. Opinion: Abolish the Electoral College. The Tech, 2013. Web. 23 Sep. 2013. < http://tech.mit.edu/V131/N64/veldman.html> Williams, Norman R. “Reforming the Electoral College: Federalism, Majoritarianism, and the Perils of Sub constitutional Change.” The Georgetown Law Journal 100.173 (2011). Print. Read More