Free Essay Example: U.S. Electoral College

The U.S. presidential election system is unlike any other in the world. Many have found it daunting to understand the complex process. The U.S. presidential election system does not directly depend on the popular votes. Electing the head of state in the U.S. is directly dependent on a system known as the Electoral College. With this system, it does not matter whether the presidential candidate wins the popular vote if they lose the Electoral College. The ideas behind the Electoral College were debated in the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where delegates debated on what was the right way to elect the president (Kostadinov 64). A section of the founding fathers preferred to have Congress pick the president. In contrast, the other section insisted on the use of a democratic popular vote. To find a middle ground, they had to compromise their positions, which resulted in the Electoral College used to determine who becomes the U.S. president, and the vice president. The system is designed in a way that requires the creation of a group of electors whose total number equals that of representatives in the U.S. Congress. Technically speaking, these electors are the ones who get to decide through votes, who becomes the U.S. president or vice president. The American people are not involved in this process at this level. The first presidential candidate to garner 270 of the total 538 electoral votes wins the presidential race to the White House (Kostadinov 63). This paper presents the history of the Electoral College, its benefits and drawbacks.

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History of the Electoral College

Historically speaking, there were many reasons why the system was decided upon at the Philadelphia convention. The country had just come from a tyrannical king and did not want to deal with another despot. Those against the idea of the Congress picking the president argued that opportunities of corruption and power within the legislative and the executive branches would influence their choice (Agnew and Shin 680). The decision against the election through the popular vote cited the fact that voters, at the time, did not have enough resources to be fully informed about the presidential candidates. They also had fears that a strong democratic mob would potentially lead the country astray. Further, they argued that a populist president that commanded the masses could also command minacious amounts of control and power (Agnew and Shin 680). Because of these reasons, they settled on a middle ground, suggesting that each state would appoint independent electors tasked with casting the actual votes for presidential candidates.

The Processes or Methods

The Electoral College uses a two-stage process at different levels. The first process at the first level is the popular vote method in which people vote for the representatives or delegates who get to represent each state in the next level(Virgin 38). People have to vote in their electors who have to take over the presidential voting duties. The allocation of electoral votes is different for each state as the number of electors depends on the population of each state. The number can change following changes in the number of people in each state, and this is determined after every decennial census. The first stage of this method begins the state-by-state primaries and caucuses to elect a member for the Electoral College. Either the Democrats or the Republicans must choose who they want to represent the party. At the primaries, American citizens of the voting age must visit a polling station and vote their chosen candidate before the votes are counted (Virgin 39). The winner of most votes gets to represent the particular state. At the caucus, citizens meet and discuss whether or not the candidates have met particular viability criteria. After the discussion, headcounts votes are taken, after which delegates get to be assigned to the candidates who got the majority of the votes. Awarding the delegates takes place either by “winner takes all” or the proportional method (Virgin 40). The winner takes all dictates that the candidate with most votes at the primary or caucus. The proportional method dictates that the candidate is awarded delegates according to the total number of primary or caucus votes in the state.

The second process is the actual electoral voting, which involves the delegates voting for the candidates who had garnered most votes in their states using the popular voting system. At this level, the electors are ascertained and certified by state governors of each state. The electors then cast the electoral votes that determine the winner. The “winner takes all” is used in all states except Maine and Alaska, which use the alternative method (Virgin 45).

Benefits and Drawbacks

The first advantage of the Electoral College is that the use of electors ensures that the interests of all states are taken care of, and the states also remain relevant politically of irrespective of the population of each state (Virgin 47). Without this provision, states with higher populations can have more power than those with lower populations hence an unfavorable political imbalance. Another advantage is that each state has a chance of having a candidate represent them and win because there is no focus on the popular vote. An advantage for the people is that the electors know the people and the demographics of each area (Virgin 39). Their understanding and awareness of the candidates are higher than most citizens making their choices more informed as far as their delivery capability is concerned. Using the electors is beneficial because the state controls the electoral process meaning that problematic issues arising can be dealt with within specific states before to avoid any interference with the nationwide election.

The disadvantage of this system is that using electors means that a candidate can become president despite not winning the popular vote. This situation has occurred five times in the election history of the U.S., including in 2016, when Donald Trump won despite losing the popular vote (Siderius 2). Because the Electoral College vote can be three at a minimum, some states might have higher representation. The focus on swing states by some candidates can better their advantages, especially if the “winner takes all” method is used, meaning the system does not appear democratic after all.

Reflection and Conclusion

In summary, the Electoral College is a system that uses electoral vote cast by electors to elect the president and the vice president. It ensures balanced power and an increased representation of all states irrespective of the population size. The electoral vote matters more than the popular vote when it comes to electing the president and the vice president. With this information, I will be able to understand better why particular candidates win, and others lose presidential elections. I also will be able to understand and interpret the election numbers in the future.

Works Cited

Agnew, John, and Michael Shin. "The Counties That Counted: Could 2020 Repeat 2016 In The U.S. Electoral College?". The Forum, vol 17, no. 4, 2020, pp. 675-692. Walter De Gruyter Gmbh, doi:10.1515/for-2019-0040.

Kostadinov, Boyan. "Predicting The Next U.S. President By Simulating The Electoral College." Journal Of Humanistic Mathematics, 2018, pp. 64-93. Claremont Colleges Library, doi:10.5642/jhummath.201801.05.

Siderius, James. "Polarization And The U.S. Electoral College." SSRN Electronic Journal, 2020, pp. 1-14. Elsevier BV, doi:10.2139/ssrn.3564820.

Virgin, Sheahan G. "Competing Loyalties In Electoral Reform: An Analysis Of The U.S. Electoral College." Electoral Studies, vol 49, 2017, pp. 38-48. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2017.07.003.