electoral college (serious answers)?

Question

why would you want to keep the electoral college in a presidential elections?

Answer 1

I wouldn't; it is an outdated system that needs to be completely overhauled...the genius of the founding fathers is that they knew that they could not anticipate what the future would be and therefore built in a system to change things as the country evoled...i.e the second amendment and the electoral college both need to be reconsidered

Answer 2

Playing devil's advocate here....I personally don't care for the electoral college, but I've heard arguments for it.

In this day and age the electoral college allows for there to be some control over potential recounts. If there was no electoral college, then after an election all of the lawyers would search out every Nowhere, Iowa to argue that the votes in that town/city were miscounted and should be recounted. Since every single hanging chad would have to be re-examined, it could be years before a president is elected (by that time, it would be time for a new election!) With the electoral college, legal battles only take place when the votes are close in a particular state.

Like I said above, I don't care for the electoral college. While it may have prevented poor illiterate farmers from making an ill informed decision back when it was first put into use, we're past that now. With the Internet and the television everyone has ready access to information about the candidates, and the media is more than happy to dig up any problems the voters might have with the candidates. (Whether the voters choose to look at the information is their own decision).

Also, I believe that the electoral college discourages people from voting. Say I lived in New York State. I tune into the news on TV daily and since the beginning of the race, New York has been shaded solidly blue. The reporters and the politicians all agree that NY is going to vote democratically. Why should I bother to vote? Where my electoral college votes will go is already decided. My single vote isn't going to make a difference. Sure, maybe in one of those highly contested states it might change some things, but NY is blue, and that's that. There's really no point to voting if it's already been decided.

I think that with modern technology there has to be some way to make voting reliable enough to count each persons vote individually without opening up the playing field to hundreds of lawyers.

Answer 3

1) It keeps elections at a state level instead of a federal level. All other offices are either state or local, and the President and Vice President are the only ones voted for nationally. Because of this, there are very few laws at the federal level pertaining to election. The majority is at the state level.

2) The President and Vice President was never meant to be a representative of the people. The U.S. House of Representatives is suppose to be the "voice of the people" in the federal government.

3) Smaller and less populated states have a bigger role in the selection of President and Vice President than if it were by popular vote. If it were popular vote, then just a few major cities would basically be the target of campaigns.

4) Remember the mess in Florida in the 2000 election? Think about how it would have been if it had been nation wide.

Answer 4

Some people will tell you it's because it's easier to count. That's an urban legend.

The reason that we have the electoral college is to balance the political needs of the voters with the political needs of the states. The result is that we have a system where the political needs of smaller states are not overwhelmed by a handful of highly-populated states.

These political protections are needed as much today as they were in the 18th century.

And as has been mentioned before, it does have other uses -- in 2000, we'd have had recounts everywhere, in every county in every state if not for the electoral college.

Answer 5

No. The president isn't elected through the individuals in protecting with se yet through the states. Thats the way it change into meant to be. we've fifty elections for president. The electoral college then has the "run off". each and every state is apportioned votes in accordance to that is inhabitants. maximum states positioned all their votes for the candidate that received in that state yet they don't look to be required to and some can chop up their vote in accordance to their state structure. i imagine the electoral college works the way it really is meant to artwork and we would want to save it.

Answer 6

The voting system should be over hauled,
as should the tax system.

Our forefathers wanted representation,
coupled with a simplified way to handle the
numbers. Thus the electorial college.

Todays computers can handle so much data
so quickly, it's probably time for a change.

Except here in Florida. We seem to have a problem
with anything more complicated than matching a
peg with a hole.

As for taxes: I would like to see a national sales
tax replace the income tax. If nothing else, it would
be the end of loop holes. Everyone would pay their
fair share.

Answer 7

It was put in place because of fear that the uneducated, illiterate, and feeble of mind would be swayed by somebody offering a handout.

The same reasons that existed when it was implemented still exist.I'm serious.