Why do we still have the electoral collage controlling our votes?

Answer 1

Because nobody has found the will to change it.

Really, the electoral college outlived its usefulness once each party put it's own party hacks on the electoral slate, rather than a collection of wise men. And that was around 1820.

Answer 2

(Copies, Pastes old answer. Since we get one of these questions every day)

Pro: The Founders of this nation had a justified fear of complete democracy. They set up a system where supposedly wise men, elected by the people, and holding no other office at the time, would chose a President. They knew "There's a sucker born every minute". They made sure that there was an insulating layer of responsible people between the voter and the presidency. Thus there is some protection from the lies and deceit that went on during election season, then just as it does now.

Con:
1. Those who failed their civics classes, or who have never received any instruction in our system of government, continue to complain and question the Electoral College. This makes the sheep easily identified and led by the barking dogs.

2. Those who wish to take advantage of the gullibility of the average voter would like to do away with the Electoral College, in order to make their nonsense campaigns more effective.

Although the Electors of most states are "pledged" to vote for the winner in that state, and most face criminal penalties for breaking that pledge, there may come a time when the Electoral College is forced to muster its courage and go against the vote. This could happen in a scenario where massive fraud or corruption is found between the national election day and the balloting of the Electoral College. This could happen and is what was intended by the founders of this nation.

http://www.hendrixcampaign.com

Answer 3

In the beginning, the Electoral College was designed so that citizens who were functionally illiterate, lived in remote areas, couldn't take the time to actually go to a voting place, or read enough about a candidate to make an educated choice, would have an elector of their choice to do the voting for them. This made perfect sense when we lived in a world with no telephone, radio, television, Internet, and with a large number of citizens who didn't read or write. Of course, this no longer applies, but changing the process has been blocked for years by those who feel that the average American is still uneducated enough to make a good choice in an election. There are also others who know that as long as we have the Electoral College, it is possible to overturn the vote of the people, in favor of the concensus of the influencial and powerful. I would like to see an end to the Electoral College myself, but until we have a citizenry willing to vote en mass instead of letting others take the heat for them, I don't expect it to happen.

Answer 4

The electoral college is not useful anymore. Since the time of modern technology has arrived, it would be a lot easier to have the voices and votes of all Americans heard. I don't need somebody else to vote for me. I can do that myself. In Switzerland, women were not allowed to vote. Instead the family discussed the matter, and the husband/ father went and cast the vote based on the families decision. I have no relation to anyone in the electoral college and do not trust them to vote in my interest. Again, technology makes it possible for all votes to count, so let all Americans choose who they want to be represented by. Not some electoral college. And maybe an IQ test should be a requirement to vote too.

Answer 5

Its an electoral college. And they do not control the votes. Each party selectes delegate to represent the party in each state. The general population votes in each state control which delegates get to cast their ballots. If the democrats win the state then the democratic delegates vote their state's shares. If the republicans win then the republican delegatesvote the state's shares. While it is true that no delegate is bound to vote any specific way, it is very rare, if ever done, that the delegate votes outside the majority and the party that elected him/her. It would surely be career suicide.

Before the electoral college, the president was elected by the senate. very frequently there were rounds and rounds of votes if no one nominee received majority. more often than not there would be a plural majority, more than 2 people take enough votes to ensure no majority winner. The senate would then eliminate the other nominees and vote only those nominees. This often resulted in compromises between parties after rounds and rounds of tieing votes.

the point is that the electoral college does not control the votes, rather the general popular vote controls which delegates in the electoral college vote.

Answer 6

The electoral college makes sure high population states do not control elections with overwhelming numbers of voters so that smaller states have as much an equal say in who beomces presidnet- and the electoral college does not control your vote-- its the other way around your vote or lack of gives the electoral college the direction to place its votes in behalf of a specific candidate or other. by majority vote but does not allow powerhouse populations to have more impact than another less powerful state.

You think the electoral college is bad? heh, you would not want to see an election process based on the popular vote. Ohio would be bypassed in a minute and never get a seconds notice, among other states.

Answer 7

Go back to your basic Civics course. The election of the President is not set up for the general population to decide. The House of Representatives and Senate, via the electoral college, are the electors of the President.

Where did we ever get the idea that the general population vote counted for this office? Do some research...

Answer 8

Lots of stupid people answering your question here ... with their "we don't want the large cities/states deciding" argument. As it is now, California still has more Electoral Votes than Rhode Island. With their argument, we are still deciding the outcome, so what point is there in having the Electoral College?

If the Electoral College was not in place, EACH PERSON's vote would count, as it should.

With the Electoral College in place, ONLY the STATE's total tally counts, which effectively cancels out all votes for the candidate with fewer votes in their State.

The Electoral College is still in use because Stupidity rules here in the US.

Answer 9

Pretty much answered by the others, however, you wouldn't need the Electoral College if you opened the process to multiple parties and had a first past the post system similar to other democratic countries. The College was set up prior to political parties being organized in this country and did co-exist for a time with multiple parties at the turn of the last century, however, the system has since been corrupted by the two majors for decades and now it appears the College is out sync with our system.

Answer 10

The founding fathers distrusted direct democracy, equating it with mob rule.

One of the original intent of the Electoral College was to en-panel a group of "wise men" to choose a president and vice president. That effectively ended when parties put up tickets.

The other intent was to even out the population differences among the states. A candidate could win a large number of less populated states and a big population state or two and beat a candidate who only won a few, big states.

This allows for the possibility that someone can have more popular votes but still lose the election. The last time that happened was in 2000.