U.S. and Texas Government - Essay Example

U.S. and Texas government School affiliation: Question 2 Though it often sounds like a place, Electoral College is actually not aplace. Rather it is a process whereby qualified electors engage in the election of the US president and the vice president. Besides, the Congress involves the group in the counting of the votes. There are a number of reasons the founding fathers saw it fit to have this system. First, this system was meant to act as a buffer between the American citizens and the president.

Furthermore, the electorate college was created with an aim of ensuring citizens would not be duped by politicians. It was thought that by having electors with a better political understanding, the choice of the president would be one to unite all Americans. Presently, for a US presidential candidate to be declared officially as the president, a 270 majority from the electorate college is mandatory. In the past, the Electoral College has denied some candidates the presidency. During the 1824 elections, Andrew Jackson failed on the president bid because, despite winning the popular vote, he only managed less than 50% of the electoral votes.

Similarly, Samuel Tilden, during the 1876 elections failed to become president because he did not meet the threshold. Others who faced a similar ordeal were Grover Cleveland and the recent one Al Gore. Currently, the state of Texas has 38 electors while Wyoming has 3. However, seemingly, unfair, this system is fair given the populations of respective states. However, the smaller states are likely to perceive it otherwise. Besides Nebraska and Maine, all the other states use the ‘winner-takes-it-all rule.

This rule influences the presidency in the sense that a state can be biased. ‘Swing states’ refer to a state that two main political parties share voters almost equally. Presidential elections ought to be reformed in a way that the general electorate’s wish is directly implemented. Question 4 College educated voters are quite knowledgeable on electoral matters. Conversely, nonvoters tend to know mainly about the candidates, not issues discussed. Own opinion is that voters ought to know all about the electoral system as well as the candidates’ track record.

The votes of less knowledgeable are of the same importance as those who are well informed.