The benefits of having an electoral college
Briefly explain the benefits of having an electoral college. What are the cons (or a reason that the electoral college does not work well)
Sample Solution
The Electoral College is a system in which citizens of the United States vote for the President and Vice-President. It was established in Article II of the Constitution and, although it has been amended over time, its basic structure remains unchanged. The most significant benefits to having an Electoral College are that it ensures that all states have a voice in national elections,
facilitates compromise between conflicting interests and opinions, provides stability to the election process, and allows each state to decide how to select its electors.
Having an Electoral College ensures that all states have a say in who their president will be. Without this system, presidential candidates would only need to focus on large population centers – such as those found in California or New York – when campaigning instead of giving attention to the entire country. This would mean smaller population center votes would be completely ignored by presidential candidates as they wouldn’t stand a chance against larger populations when it comes to winning electoral votes from populous states. With Electors being awarded based on population size within each state rather than nationwide totals gives small states more control than if we had a popular vote without an electoral college system due which helps balance power across different regions within America despite any disparities with regard to populations sizes among them.
The Electoral College also helps facilitate compromise between conflicting interests groups or opinions across diverse areas throughout our nation such as rural vs urban voters or Republicans vs Democrats because these disparate factions can make their voices heard through individual electorates rather than relying solely on popular culture within their area or nationwide trends overall. Due to this allowance for differing views/opinions within individual electorates when voting for Presidential nominees (which happens at separate times throughout American history) there is less chance of extreme candidates coming into office since electorates act both like filter mechanisms but also help ensure representation from ALL voices regardless of party lines keeping America unified even during divisive political cycles we often go through during Election season here at home & abroad simultaneously!
The Electoral College also provides stability for our election process by ensuring results remain consistent from one election cycle after another; without this system there could arguably be much greater fluctuations year over year since voter turnout or other unknown factors may lead some years towards one candidate while others may shift drastically away hencerforth ultimately leading towards uncertainty & instability within US politics if not carefully managed via existing systems already put into place like...the very effective one we currently use with The Electoral College system today! This stability also reduces chances for fraud since large swings every four years could cause suspicions about certain outcomes under unusual circumstances making sure everyone knows exactly what's going on should anything seem amiss regarding potential suspicious activity surrounding particular results especially true if someone were attempting manipulation thereof post-election day itself!
Despite several positive aspects associated with using an Electoral College, there are some cons associated with this practice as well—notably issues related to the fact that individual votes do not always reflect the outcome of national elections because electors cast ballots according to regional preferences instead of direct public opinion polls taken prior thereto OR (indirectly) due too wide inconsistencies amongst platforms used by various state governments around US territory whereby sometimes electing officials/electors chosen behind closed doors rather than open democratic processes making selection arbitrary & thus potentially unfair resulting lack thereof faith being put forthby numerous communities into legitimacy surrounding results thereby leading many people feel disenfranchised politically regardless end result obtained socially/economically speaking ultimately reducing civic participation overall long term wise.... That said though, modern reforms have slowly been implemented over time such as ones allowing individuals (rather than legislatures) directly choose electors via popular ballot initiatives allowing more democratic input while still maintaining traditional framework electoral college affords us currently so hopefully further changes will continue down line mitigate concerns raised above providing fair representation adequate participation necessary maintain stable but progressive outlook future American political landscape moving forward together unitedly versus dividing apart accordingly only then can history judge us favorably decades henceforth far beyond our own lifetime words alone afford us justice now fittingly