Should Electoral College Be Abolished

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The National Archives and Records Administration makes it clear that, "the Electoral College is a process not a place". (archives.gov) It was first meant as a compromise for those who wanted the president elected by popular vote. The Electoral College is a group of individuals from each state who cast their votes for president. They represent the vote of a particular group of people from each state. The number of “electors”, as they are called, depends on the number of members of Congress in each state. There are over five hundred electors, a combination of Representatives and Senators from each state. In the 2012 presidential election, President Obama had 281 electoral votes from the state of California, while Mitt Romney had 191. What I found from my research is that the rules seem somewhat unclear when it comes to how each elector must vote. There is some argument that they are bound to vote by what their representatives have agreed on, but there seems to be some gray area there. Nobody has ever been prosecuted for voting contrary to what they had agreed to. (archives.gov.) That brings up an interesting question in that some believe it weakens the validity of the process because what is the point if at the last minute the delegate can change their mind. This …show more content…

It provides a means of carrying the message of several supporters for a candidate through a smaller number of representatives. It also provides more security to those from each party who prefer not to have last minute surprises. If they know in advance how their delegate is going to vote, they are able to predict if their candidate will win. There are many reasons why the Electoral College works and it should continue to be successful. The question of the way a delegate votes is more of an issue. Some people want to abolish the system because they think that every citizen should vote and not leave it up to another person to vote on your

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