The Electoral College Is A Democracy - 1012 Words

There is no doubt that the United States of America is a democracy, but how democratic are some of the components of our system of government? For example, the Electoral College is used when selecting the president of The United States, but the founders developed the Electoral College based on a theory of how it should work with no practical, real-world example of how it realistically works. Based on the three core principles of democracy which are popular sovereignty, political equality, and political freedom, the Electoral College falls short when assessed using these democratic values. The Electoral College provides people with a way to select the president of the nation. The Electoral College is used in the presidential election as a counting method for votes per state. In this way everyone who is a registered voter is allowed to vote for who they believe is the best candidate. Since our democracy is a representative democracy and not a direct democracy, the people have to decide who will best represent their ideas, morals, and overall interests in the direction of the county as a whole. The Electoral College gives power to the people in selecting the ruler of the nation thus establishing them as a sovereign entity. Popular sovereignty is the idea that the people are sovereign and it is the leader of the countries responsibility to reflect the people’s interests. Jon R. Bond and Kevin B. Smith defined popular sovereignty in their book Analyzing American Democracy byShow MoreRelatedDemocracy Now : Abolish The Electoral College1581 Words   |  7 PagesDemocracy Now: Abolish the Electoral College As citizens we owe it to the people and voters who have given and sacrificed for the right to vote to make sure that every single vote is counted and equal. We need to ensure that a vote cast in one state is equal to the vote of citizens in any other state. We need to become a true democracy. â€Å"The presidency is the only office in America where the candidate who wins the most votes can still lose the election. There isn’t any elected office in the NationRead MoreDemocracy, the Electoral College and Other Methods of Election681 Words   |  3 Pagessystems, is the strongest democracy in the world. However, the United States of America possesses many defects in its political system. Many Americans also believe that the United States of America is the most solid democracy today. However, America’s election system contradicts the ideas of a role-model democracy. American citizens elect the President of the United States indirectly through the Electoral College. Some Americans do not understand clearly how the Electoral College even works. I will specificallyRead MoreThe State Of The Electoral College1077 Words   |  5 Pagesarises out of democracy.† These words from the Greek philosopher Plato summarize the most fundamental concern of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention when they considered what the best way to conduct presidential elections would be. While, in concept, democracy sounds like the fairest form of government, in practice, it is less than ideal. Fear of â€Å"tyranny of the majority† prompted discussion over how the president should be elected. The Founders chose the Electoral College—which incorporatesRead Mo reThe Electoral College System For Electing The United States Essay1150 Words   |  5 Pages With the Electoral College system for electing the United States president winning the most popular votes is not a guarantee a candidate will become president. They must also get 270 Electoral College votes to win. A candidate can become president if he gets at least 270 Electoral College votes and does not have the most popular votes. Many people do not like the Electoral college system for this reason. They feel the person with the most popular votes should win. Unfortunately for themRead More The Flawed Electoral College Voting Process Essay1196 Words   |  5 PagesThe Flawed Electoral College Voting Process When Americans vote their choice for President, one would assume that these votes would be tabulated and the majority vote would win. But this is not the case at all. The Presidency is ultimately decided by the Electoral College, what William McClenaghan calls â€Å"one of the least understood parts of the American political process†(340). McClenaghan also defines the Electoral College as â€Å"the body that makes the formal selection of the nation’s PresidentRead MoreThe Electoral College Should Be Abolished1418 Words   |  6 PagesThe Electoral College has been around since 1787 and is how the United States elects the president and vice president. Many people support the Electoral College because the Founding Fathers thought it was the only way to have a democracy without completely trusting the people to elect the president. The Electoral College process is stated in the Constitution so many people think it is the only way to elect the president. Many critics of t he Electoral College call it out on the fact that a candidateRead MoreThe Election Of The Electoral College Essay1380 Words   |  6 Pagesestablished the electoral college to give the original thirteen states a fair voice in the election process. This country electoral called the electoral college into question on more the one occasion. In the most recent election, President-elect Donald Trump won the electoral vote over Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. This election has sent the country into an uproar and citizens of the United States are now challenging the legitimacy of the electoral college process. This paperRead MoreEssay about Electoral College vs. Popular Vote1451 Words   |  6 PagesElectoral College vs. Popular Vote When given this assignment I had no clue what topic I might choose. I waited and waited until the recent elections blew up in my face. This past election was a learning experience for me because I just turned 18. This was the first year I could ever vote and a weird election like this occurred. I noticed how many people were actually very disturbed with how Gore won the popular vote but will most likely lose the election only because he couldnt winRead MoreDemocracy, Over The Years, Has Been Both Praised And Criticized1587 Words   |  7 PagesDemocracy, over the years, has been both praised and criticized as the central form of government in the United States. After the most recent election, political tensions have been high throughout the country leading to an increase in the discussion of politics in public and especially on college campuses. I have interviewed ten students on the UCSB campus about the role of democracy in the United States and if it is a good representation of a stable form of government. My interviewees’ opinionsRead MoreThe Election Of The United States934 Words   |  4 Pagesis the vote of the people was disregarded, and the Electoral College votes allowed for a shameful stab at the democracy of America. America the Election of the face of America which is president and is decided by a complete fault in American Democracy. We need to change the law, and push America’s democracy to allowing the popular vote to be the method of choosing president. My defense of this is running deep, and pure because the Electoral College has some serious faults. This method has impacted