Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Eliminating the Electoral College
In the past couple elections you have heard more and more about eliminating the electoral college which to me sounds like a plausible and excellent idea. I am not saying that the electoral college wasn't an amazing idea and that it did help our nation for some time. However, as our nation's population continues to prosper the electoral college seems much less useful. Not only is our population greater than it used to be, but more of our nation is better educated on our Government and how it works and the electoral college really doesn't seem necessary anymore. Not only is our nation much more informed, but more ethnic groups across the board are educated on our Government and no longer need representation from the electoral college in order to have their voice heard. It is time for the United States to adopt a direct democracy, since it is the most democratic way of voting, which is what the United States strives for. The electoral college is such an archaic system in the first place, and really makes the idea of voting in a democratic system void and null since it comes down to the electoral college's decision. Our nation could change for the better if we adopted direct democracy and let go of the archaic voting system we have held onto for so long.
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2 comments:
I agree with you Erin, eliminating the electoral college needs to be done for a fair democracy. Every person's vote should count and we shouldn't have to depend on the electoral college to make that decision for us. All of us are capable of thinking critically because we are educated. As history has shown, we have made incredible progress in technology, putting the information we need at hand in order to critically think and cast our vote for President.
When we cast our vote on election day, we are not casting our vote in hopes that our chosen candidate is elected but we are essentially casting our votes in hopes that our electoral college votes the same way. Did you know that 48 out of the 50 states give electoral votes to the the candidate who wins the majority in their state? Like Florida, who recieves 28 electoral votes, gives all of their electoral votes to the majority voted candidate, no matter how close the race. Yet, those of the electoral college are in no way required to vote according to what the actual state has voted. Eighty-seven times in the past, electors have voted againt the wishes of the the people who have elected them. Crooked as it seems, the electoral college made sense in the 1700s when information was inaccessible to the ordinary citizen. Because information moved slowly, and our country was so vast, the electors of the electoral college were sent to washington to get the latest information in order to make their vote for the people. Nowadays, technology has given the people information as quickly as a click of a mouse.
We had to depend on the electoral college back when horses were the only way of transportation and useful politically information was invested in our electors of the electoral college. Now, we have the power of information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUS9mM8Xbbw&feature=relmfu
I aslo believe that the Electoral College is an extremely outdated method of electing our country's leaders. When it was established, most citizens were workers and did not have an education. Now the majority of Americans have high school diploma or equivalent. And with the instantaneousness and vast amount of information and news these days with the internet, we have no problem researching the candidates on our own and casting the vote. I agree with Erin that we should adopt a direct democracy. This would also prevent another situation where the candidate wins the poular vote but loses the election becuase of the Electoral College.
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