Electoral college :: essays research papers

A common misconception among American is that when they vote they elect the President. The truth is not nearly this simple. What in position happens when a person votes is that there vote goes for an Elector. This Elector (who is selected by the respective put in in which a vote is cast) casts b aloneots for two individuals, the President and the Vice-President. Each state has the same number of electors as there are Senate and House of Representative members for that State. When the voting has stopped the candidate who receives the majority of the Electoral votes for a state receives all the electoral votes for that state. All the votes are transmitted to Washington, D.C. for tallying, and the candidate with the majority of the electoral votes wins the presidency. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the responsibility of selecting the next President waterfall upon the House of Representatives. This elaborate system of Presidential selection is thought by many to be a n 18th century anachronism (Hoxie p. 717), what it is in fact is the reaping of a 200 year old debate over who should select the President and why. In 1787, the Framers in their infinite wisdom, saw the need to respect the principles of two Federalists and States Righters (republicans) (Hoxie p. 717). Summarily a compromise was struck between those who felt Congress should select the President and those who felt the states should have a say. In 1788 the Electoral College was indoctrinated and laid into operation. The College was to allow community a say in who lead them, but was also to protect against the general publics ignorance of politics. Why the fear of the peoples ignorance of politics? It was argued that the people, left to their possess devices could be swayed by a few designing men to elect a king or demagogue (McManus p. 19). With the Electoral College in place the people could make a screened decision about who the highest authority in the land was to be (Bailey & Shafritz (p. 60) at the same time the fear of the newly formed earth being destroyed by a demagogue could be put to rest because wiser men had the final say. 200 years later the system is calm down designed to safeguard against the ignorant capacities of the people. The Electoral College has remained relatively unchanged in form and function since 1787, the year of its formulation.