Electoral College For The Win!

I recently read one of my classmate’s bogs entitled “When Will Our Opinion Really Be Worth Something?” This editorial really intrigued me. My fellow classmate believes that the Electoral College System, currently employed by our Nation as a means of choosing our President, is unfair and biased. The current Electoral College System allows our nation to casts their votes for president in what is deemed by us as, “the popular vote.” This vote is then used to help ‘”instruct” the 538 total electors chosen from each state, who ultimately will cast their votes to choose our President. Whichever candidate receives 270 Electoral College votes, wins the election.

The most common complaint by those individuals, including my classmate, who abhor the Electoral College, is that there is a chance the peoples’ voices will not be heard. A candidate can lose the popular vote and still win the overall election by winning the votes of the electors. This seems to be the only flaw most critics of the Electoral College can find with the current system. My classmate uses the example of the 2000 Presidential election to prove his point. In 2000, George W. Bush won the Presidency despite that fact that fellow candidate Al Gore won the popular vote. My classmate believes that this is reason enough to abolish the Electoral College. We as the “governed” have a voice in our country, and we have a right to say how it should be run. The fact that Bush won in 2000 means that our voices are not taken seriously enough.

I disagree! The Electoral College does allow every citizen in the U.S. the opportunity to express their wants and desires for our nation every single time they vote in a presidential election. We still have a voice. On top of that, it is a proven fact that since its establishment in Article II Section I of the Constitution, The Electoral College has only failed 3 times to elect a president that was not otherwise chosen by the people in the popular vote. It is put in place as a compromise between the larger states and the smaller states, as well as a good defense against a nation who is way uninvolved and unknowledgeable about our government today. It was stated in the opening paragraph of my classmate’s blog that they do not feel very knowledgeable about government. I myself do not feel very knowledgeable about our government. That is why I feel that the Electoral College works. It allows every person who so chooses to stand up and voice their opinion, while also allowing those more knowledgeable than us an opportunity to select a candidate who will meet the most needs for our nation. Small states get to stand up and voice their opinions as well. Without the Electoral College small states’ voices about government would never really be heard because the populations in larger states, like California, Texas, and New York will always win out. While I will agree that the Electoral College is not bulletproof and maybe concessions should be made, we cannot deny the fact that it is probably the most sound and successful tool our government employs today.