The Electoral College Should Be Revised Essay -- Argumentative Persuas

The Electoral College Should Be Revised As citizens of the United State of America, one of our most important rights is that of which to vote. By voting, the general population has a say in who its leaders are. Votes for local, state, and even federal representatives directly reflect who the constituents want in office. However, America’s highest office is not elected by a vote of the people. Instead we use a confusing and outdated system called the Electoral College. Our president is not elected by the people, but by 538 electors who can legally vote for whomever they choose. Several times in our nations history an elector has voted against the people’s will. Three presidents have been elected into office by the electoral college and not had the majority support of the nation. This phenomenon may very well happen again this year. This system needs to be changed. The highest office in our great nation needs to be elected by the people he/she is representing. The electoral college was developed by our founding fathers as a compromise between a president elected by Congress and one elected by the popular vote of the people. They feared that if the president was elected by Congress, he/she may feel some obligation to it. They also felt that the American people were not well enough informed and mature enough to elect their own leader. They finally decided on an Electoral College that today is made up of 538 electors from all 50 state and the District of Columbia. Each state is allotted a number of electors equal to its number of Representatives and Senators in Washington. The District of Columbia has a number of electors equal to that of the least populated state. As an example, California, our nation’s most populated state, h... ...t. This government is made of the people, for the people, and by the people. We need to have the ability to choose our own leader without the possibility of that decision getting manipulated. Sources Cited: Tom Curtis, "Making Sense of the Electoral College." [Internet, www], http://www.msnbc.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] "Frequently Asked Questions on the Electoral College." Prepared by The Office of the Federal Register. [Internet, www], http://www.nara.gov. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] "Electoral College." 2000 United Republican Network. [Internet, www], http://united.republican .com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] Eric Wikman, "The Electoral College: Then, Now, and Tomorrow." [Internet, www], http://www.wickman.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000] Judy Cresanta, "The Electoral College: Crisis Avoided." [Internet, www], http://www.npri.com. [viewed Nov. 6, 2000]