tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post3683956268947762113..comments2023-10-28T04:10:15.676-05:00Comments on AllSaintsGOV: All Sources are Suspect: Should the Electoral College System be Preserved?Upper School Government and Economicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15788811236521668772noreply@blogger.comBlogger202125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-76253166454065502332012-11-15T19:14:10.830-06:002012-11-15T19:14:10.830-06:00I forgot to add my quote to my previous comment. &... I forgot to add my quote to my previous comment. "The system aims not just for the majority but rule by certain kinds of majorities. It encourages candidates to form coalitions of states with various political interests and cultures."(126) The candidates arent aiming for everyones vote they are aiming for the majority vote of certain group of people.Corbin Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-58161981046799506092012-11-13T22:24:30.315-06:002012-11-13T22:24:30.315-06:00The electoral college is a rather effective way to...The electoral college is a rather effective way to elect the President. he only flaw that is has is the fact that if a candidate barely edges out his opponent in a state he gets every vote for that state. If each candidate got his or her vote if would likely be a closer race but more fair to both of them and to the public. Races would definetly have different outcomes.Corbin Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-35947979817735181672012-11-11T16:49:37.395-06:002012-11-11T16:49:37.395-06:00I believe that the Electoral College is still bene...I believe that the Electoral College is still beneficial to our voting system today because it equalizes the playing field. The fact is that the smaller states, such as Rhode Island, are at a disadvantage compared to larger states like Texas. With the Electoral vote, however, it gives each state an equal say in the election. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-54752306375723484532012-11-07T14:58:55.728-06:002012-11-07T14:58:55.728-06:00I believe that the Electoral College should be dis...I believe that the Electoral College should be dissolved for many reasons. Richard J. Durbin points out that the system is "inherently unfair" (p.126) because a president can win the election even if he has received less popular vote than the other candidate. Durbin also points out that since 1824, three presidents have lost the popular vote, but has won the election. Thus stirring up controversy among voters and conspiracists. Also, the textbook states that "the proposals to abolish the Electoral College are proposals to abolish the Federal principle in presidential elections" (p.130). I agree with this statement because I believe that the Electoral College is the government's way to have some kind of control of the election. Overall, I believe that the system needs to be altered to have a more outright, and fair election winner.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-64611262033607022522012-11-06T12:45:46.933-06:002012-11-06T12:45:46.933-06:00In the 2000 election, Bush did not win the popular...In the 2000 election, Bush did not win the popular vote however, he won the vote in the all-or-none Electoral College. The college should be preserved due to its knowledge on the candidates and its majority vote. The fact that the college has a more in depth knowledge contributes to the election of the one better fit for presidency. The Electoral College helps preserve federalism in the states. (Us Gov Info)It also helps the state get a say on who they wish to become president. Furthermore, to those who wish to abolish the Electoral College would cause chaos and tremendous rebellion, which the College can help solve in the process of election. So the College trumps that of the people. The College helps in the election of the best fit for presidency.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-5249392786916081902012-11-04T14:47:20.795-06:002012-11-04T14:47:20.795-06:00I do not think the Electoral College should be pre...I do not think the Electoral College should be preserved. Although the Electoral College worked back when it was first created, it does not work well today. One of the biggest issues, I believe that the electoral college has today, is that not all states get the same amount of attention. Richard J. Durbin says, "The winner-take-all asopect in each State motivates presidential candidates to focus on states with a moderate or large number of electoral votes, assuming the candidates believe they have a chance to win the popular vote there." (126) This proves that not all states get the right amount of attention from the candidates especially the smaller states that have a small number of electoral votes. Another flaw I see in the system is that in a lot of states electors have little to no penalty if they don't vote with the popular vote of that state. This means that the popular vote in a state could be republican, but the electors could vote democrat and have little to no punishment. Like Durbin says, " this leads to the disturbing possibility that a President, in an election with a close electoral vote, could win through subterfuge." (128) This is why I believe the electoral system is undemocratic and should not be preserved. Kenzie Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-37516301050806489952012-11-02T13:59:57.465-05:002012-11-02T13:59:57.465-05:00While I understand the reasons for the creation of...While I understand the reasons for the creation of the electoral college and the potential problems that could come from its absence, I feel it is no longer needed. As Richard J. Durbin Says, it is "an antiquated institution that has outlived its purpose." It is an undemocratic institution that diminishes the weight and importance of some citizens votes and leads to the problem of a non-majority president. In Texas, for example, the electoral votes will go to Romney. So a vote for Obama would not really matter considering that it will have no impact on the electoral votes. But the votes of members of small states can have a "disproportional impact on a national election." As happened in 2010, it is also possible for a candidate who received the majority of votes from the citizens to not win the presidency. America cannot be a democracy until its citizens can elect their president directly by popular vote.SarahRostamonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-11116353951737475112012-11-02T12:33:03.899-05:002012-11-02T12:33:03.899-05:00I do not think that the electoral college should b...I do not think that the electoral college should be preserved. The electoral college was much more beneficial back in the day rather than the present. "The first problem with the Electoral College system is that it is inherently unfair and may disenfranchise voters."(126) The people are what make the country a democracy. The electoral college does not benefit the present day as it did in the eighteenth century.Laura Scullynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-1981940100192862032012-11-01T23:35:44.288-05:002012-11-01T23:35:44.288-05:00I believe that the Electoral College System should...I believe that the Electoral College System should not be preserved. One reason it should be abolished is because it does not support the democracy we strive for. By only letting electoral votes count, there is the chance that the man the majority of citizens vote for will not become president. According to Senator Thomas J. Dodd, "there is something wrong with an election system which hinges, not on the vote of 70 million, but on the vote of several thousand in a few key states" (128). The fact that only a handful of large states get to run the election, over the millions of citizens in every state is unfair and undemocratic. This system also makes for a divide among the country. All of the attention and time goes into the larger states, leaving the small states to feel ignored and uncared for. The votes from one state should not be worth more to a presidential candidate than the votes in another. Another reason why the system should be abolished is because electors have the power to go against the popular vote in their state, even though they were elected with the trust that they would represent the popular vote in their state. Whether this system remains should also be decided by popular vote and "every public opinion poll indicated that an overwhelming majority of Americans want to elect their president directly with popular vote" (129).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-83773402504241001582012-11-01T12:21:12.775-05:002012-11-01T12:21:12.775-05:00If you ask me, the Electoral College System was gr...If you ask me, the Electoral College System was great.... for the eighteenth century. It helped solve many problems back then. But that was back then, and this is now. It has even been argued that the System is "a "constitutional accident waiting to happen" (135). I believe that there are two main points that prove that Electoral College System should be abolished. The two are federalism and inertia. Federalism can explain why the Electoral College is used to pick presidents but not governors. "It is hard to see what the federalism argument is today" (137). The inertia argument can be broken into two parts. "A change in presidential selection rules would radically change the the game in ways hard to foresee" (137). Second, the specter of a popular loser becomes the Electoral College winner hasn't necessarily happened anytime in this century. I also believe that with it, there is no way we can become a true democracy by it not representing each of our votes. And in order to, we must follow a direct popular vote or else its worth nothing. These are some reasons why I believe the Electoral College system should be abolished.DavisDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-65720691888489020452012-11-01T10:58:26.605-05:002012-11-01T10:58:26.605-05:00I think we should change the methods of electing a...I think we should change the methods of electing a president and not have the electoral college. Richard Durbin talks about how even though the president will win the majority vote, he may not win the electoral vote. He talked about how the "less populous states are largely ignored (126)." He also proposes that the system is "unfair and may disfranchise voters" (126). He emphasizes that the electoral college will often lead to wide disparities between electoral and popular vote. The electoral system can overturn the popular vote of the people, almost making it seem like the peoples voice can be overturned by the officials appointed by the state. All the problems with the electoral system makes me feel like it is a method of the people not getting a full voice in the election. GriffinLnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-4974326122870444072012-11-01T10:47:09.039-05:002012-11-01T10:47:09.039-05:00I believe that the Electoral College system should...I believe that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "The first problem with the Electoral College system is that it is inherently unfair and may disenfranchise voters."(126) As a democracy, we should be a country by the people. Not only is it taking away power from the people as a whole, but it violates the Federal principle. According to the textbook, "the proposals to abolish the Electoral College are proposals to abolish the Federal principle in presidential elections" (130). The system is completely out of date and is an obstruction of the democracy that we call ourselves as a country.<br /><br />katy wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-85293087470807523372012-11-01T08:23:26.293-05:002012-11-01T08:23:26.293-05:00I believe the Electoral College system should be a...I believe the Electoral College system should be abolished. I came into this assignment knowing little to nothing about this system, but after reading what Honorable Richard J. Durbin had to say about the electoral college, I was persuaded to join the con side. He made very good arguments, pointing out three major flaws he sees within the system. First, he points out that the system is "inherently unfair" (126) because it can lead to Presidents who had received less popular votes than his opponent. Durbin backed up this information with the fact that this very situation has happened three times out of the 42 presidential elections since 1824. Another flaw he pointed out about the system is that it "produces artificial distortion in the political process (128). All of these flaws he has pointed out about the system has made me develop a negative outlook on the Electoral College system.AlienorRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-80464153726195757282012-11-01T07:56:32.196-05:002012-11-01T07:56:32.196-05:00In my opinion I think that the Electoral College S...In my opinion I think that the Electoral College System should not be preserved because it is an indirect method of electing the President by a simple majority electoral votes elected by the House of Representatives and greatest number of voters. It is said in the electoral college that the system gives the slight advantage to the smaller states, however, the winner-takes-all method leads the candidates more towards the bigger states. Since many of the candidates only go to the larger and swing States they influence the number of contested States. Some states are just “safe states” and do not receive much attention. Another problem with the electoral college is that it is not a direct popular vote. It is just the popular vote in the State. “In effect, millions of voters are disenfranchised if they happen to vote for the losing candidate in their State.” (Durbin 127). Five candidates have lost the popular vote by .3 percent. Not only is it unfair is the candidates but also to the many thousands of voters are having a “disproportional impact on the national election (Durbin 128). Many say that the electoral college should be preserved, however, the “...that the so-called Electoral College system has never functioned as contemplated by the Framers of the Constitution.” (129). The Electoral College system worked well for what the Framers had in mind, but they never imagined the future of politics.<br />- Abby J.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-49522518519900321602012-11-01T07:42:43.806-05:002012-11-01T07:42:43.806-05:00I believe the Electoral college system should be a...I believe the Electoral college system should be abolished. I do not think it is fair for the country as a whole. First, it violates the Federal principle. "The proposals to abolish the Electoral College are proposals to abolish the Federal principle in presidential elections. (130). Also, according to the text, "To create a critical mass necessary for a President to govern, his votes must be properly distributed (130). I believe that this is not true with the Electoral College System. Individuals should each have their own say in who they think who will be the most appropriate leader for the United States of America. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-26974638272561729932012-11-01T07:09:44.330-05:002012-11-01T07:09:44.330-05:00America, as a nation, has thrived due to the fact ...America, as a nation, has thrived due to the fact that everyone has a say. It is a democratic nation. All of us, the citizens, maintain our natural rights and we have the ability to speak our voice, assemble, and express our opinions in order to further our nation. The electoral college hinders these rights. The means by which it does this are not blatant and directly stated, but as the college itself unfolds, it reveals its undemocratic qualities. First of all, the electoral college "impacts the way campaigns are conducted" (124). The candidates focus themselves on swing states, "states where the outcome of the election is uncertain" (124-125). Throughout the history of the USA, about 35 to 40 states have been quite obviously leaning either democratic or republican. So, the whole election boils down to the say of 10 to 15 states, which usually are rather small. Now to backtrack. America supposedly thrives off of their democratic policies in which everyone has a say. 10 to 15 states is not everyone. The fact that a small percentage of the nation theoretically decides who the leader of our nation is going to be completely hinders the right of Americans to "have a say". Moreover, the states that are predominately republican or democratic do not allow those who oppose the states views to have any say. There votes are basically worthless when it comes to those solid states. A system in which the total popular vote is taken and whoever is liked more 1, makes more sense, 2 is the system in which America needs in order to insure democracy. The Electoral College is way too focused on swing states, hinders the ability of the "underdogs" to voice their opinion, and obstructs democracy in the United States. Ford Nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-57282626660641272942012-11-01T01:01:54.342-05:002012-11-01T01:01:54.342-05:00"Public opinion is everything. With it, nothi..."Public opinion is everything. With it, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed." (129). The electoral college system is absurd and unfair to all voting Americans. It says the electoral college system gives the smaller states a chance to show what they support. What is the point in voting if you're individual vote doesn't really even count? It is a rhetorical question. It means absolutely nothing. Americans do not vote just because of it. I personally talked to a group of voters that stated why they stopped voting because of it. The president that is supported by most of america, is the president that deserves toehold that position. Electoral college system should not be preserved any longer, so America can have a fair voting system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-31048510412521137052012-11-01T00:43:50.750-05:002012-11-01T00:43:50.750-05:00Brent Friedman
I believe the electoral college sy...Brent Friedman<br /><br />I believe the electoral college system should not be preserved. In the electoral college system it is not the most popular president who wins the election, but the candidate who receives the most electoral votes. There have been many cases over the past few centuries where the candidate receiving the most overall votes lost the election, and that completely unjust. Many argue that the electoral college system was put in place by our founders, therefore, it should stay that way, but the founding fathers really founded the United States based on popular majority, "The men who founded this country surely recognized the entitlements of a popular majority...."(123). In the electoral college system, only voters in swing states(10-15) have any affect on the election because a majority of the states a pre-decided before campaigning begins. The electoral college system needs to be abolished as soon as possible. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-45474674408800291282012-10-31T23:09:55.096-05:002012-10-31T23:09:55.096-05:00Eric Hernandez
I believe that the Electoral Colle...Eric Hernandez<br /><br />I believe that the Electoral College should not be preserved. The Electoral College worked well back then when it was first used but many things have changed since then. Back then there were different priorities and problems compared to twenty-first century ”the Electoral College a brilliant eighteenth century device that cleverly solved a cluster of eighteenth century problems. But as we approach the twenty-first century, we confront a different cluster of problems….” (pg. 135). The Electoral College lessens the importance of the people’s votes. Since the United States is a democracy the people’s opinion should count, but due to the Electoral College the popular vote by the people is not the deciding factor in the elections. The peoples vote should be the deciding factor on how the president gets elected. I believe that the Electoral College should be removed because it is making the United States a less democratic society because the Electoral College lessens the importance of the people’s votes and doesn’t give the people a say in the government.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-68779115636632458362012-10-31T22:07:48.020-05:002012-10-31T22:07:48.020-05:00I believe that the Electoral College System should...I believe that the Electoral College System should be preserved. In America voting is the main theme of democracy. What happens if a person just goes out to vote without actually knowing what the candidates believe in? This is the issue with deciding who our president will be by popular votes. Some people are not well educated on the beliefs that the candidates have and yet they still go out and vote. What happens if that one person who knows nothing about the candidates turns out to be the deciding vote on who becomes president? According to Walter Berns, we would have a “system that pays no attention whatever to the qualifications of officeholders” (pg.123). The Electoral College system makes sure that every vote that goes toward each candidate is actually a vote that has meaning. By this I mean every vote was thought out. This helps America with choosing the right president that would best benefit us. Maria I.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-40358756512995113942012-10-31T21:57:55.619-05:002012-10-31T21:57:55.619-05:00I think that the Electoral College should be remov...I think that the Electoral College should be removed. It has worked well in the past years but it is time do move on to a new system. According to Richard Durbin, one major flaw in the Electoral College is “…the electors, in general are not bound to cast their vote in accordance with the popular vote results from their state.” I agree with this statement, if the citizens feel that their vote will not affect the election due to the popular vote results from their state, they often do not vote. I do not think that the states should be shown as only democratic or republican; I think that it should be about each individual vote throughout all of the states. The United States needs to get rid of the Electoral College and create a system that would portray each individual’s vote. Sarah V.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-89579291613087078832012-10-31T21:50:25.192-05:002012-10-31T21:50:25.192-05:00The Electoral College system should be preserved. ...The Electoral College system should be preserved. If the Electoral College system was abolished then there would be many cons with elections to come. In the Electoral College System it allows smaller states to have a say in the election.<br />In the United States, it is more populated on the West and the East coast, with the exceptions of Illinois and Texas, "If the selection of the president was based on popular vote, the largest states (the states with the most voters) would elect their favorite son every time" (Pg. 122). The larger populated states that lean in one direction completely over power large portions of the country. Most people live on the East and West coast, so if they ignore the central part of the country, more than half the country would not have a say in the election at all "Another unfortunate byproduct of the unit rule is that voters in solid states feel as if their votes and efforts are irrelevant" (Pg 125). But because of the Electoral College System, it gives every state a say in the election. It also avoids the election of having to not have a recount on the votes. But with out the Electoral College System, it would be based off of popular vote, then the candidates would go to where the largest population is, to try and win over their votes. The Electoral College System should be preserved, because with out it elections would became all about population and the popular vote, but with this system, it gives every state a say with it being fair.Sadie Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-41376408144541812252012-10-31T19:49:25.066-05:002012-10-31T19:49:25.066-05:00There are flaws in the Electoral system in both wa...There are flaws in the Electoral system in both ways, but because we are a nation of democracy and a nation of states we should allow the states to vote. In best case instead of dumping the electoral system, we should try and improve it. “Electors, in general, are not bound to caste their vote in accordance with the popular vote.” (Pg.128) Perhaps we should consider requiring electors to vote in the way their state’s popular vote voted. “is we abandoned the Federal principle in presidential elections, we will be abandoning a national consensus-building device by allowing candidates to promise everything to the populous Eastern megalopolis, or to promise everything to white Christians, or to suburbanites…” (Pg. 131) despite the fact that there are flaws in the Electoral College, a better alternative with safe guards to protect the minorities has yet to be suggested.Morgan.Wnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-59137876636609778182012-10-31T18:52:46.033-05:002012-10-31T18:52:46.033-05:00In my opinion the electoral college should be elim...In my opinion the electoral college should be eliminated. the electoral college was functioning properly in the 1800s but nowadays it is not working as it is intended to.The goal of having an election is to elect the president that wins the popular vote."The danger is said to consist in the possibility that a candidate might receive a majority of the electoral votes while receiving fewer popular votes than his or her opponent." (pg.122 ). In 2000 the president who won the popular vote was not elected and the president who won the electoral college took the presidency. The fact that one can win the popular vote but lose the election is a big fault in the electoral college system. the electoral college system discourages voters and gives to much power to the smaller states. A voter can be discouraged because in a strongly democratic state like California, a republican voter can feel that their vote is unimportant because of the electoral college system. The electoral college gives the smaller states a good amount of power even though they are considerably smaller in population compared to a Texas, California, or New York. I believe that America is capable of producing a more functional voting system. The electoral college system must be eliminated because of its obvious flaws. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3445502547677988169.post-5692512020665294182012-10-31T18:51:44.832-05:002012-10-31T18:51:44.832-05:00In my opinion the electoral college should be elim...In my opinion the electoral college should be eliminated. the electoral college was functioning properly in the 1800s but nowadays it is not working as it is intended to.The goal of having an election is to elect the president that wins the popular vote."The danger is said to consist in the possibility that a candidate might receive a majority of the electoral votes while receiving fewer popular votes than his or her opponent." (pg.122 ). In 2000 the president who won the popular vote was not elected and the president who won the electoral college took the presidency. The fact that one can win the popular vote but lose the election is a big fault in the electoral college system. the electoral college system discourages voters and gives to much power to the smaller states. A voter can be discouraged because in a strongly democratic state like California, a republican voter can feel that their vote is unimportant because of the electoral college system. The electoral college gives the smaller states a good amount of power even though they are considerably smaller in population compared to a Texas, California, or New York. I believe that America is capable of producing a more functional voting system. The electoral college system must be eliminated because of its obvious flaws. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com