Level 7
Why the US Should Abolish the Electoral College( Excerpt)
… Voting conditions have progressed in terms of communication and technology. When the Constitution was written, the typical voter had few opportunities to learn about presidential candidates, so the job of choosing the President was given to the Electoral College. Electors who were appointed by their states were better educated than average citizens who were not thought capable of making an informed choice. Today, with universal education, TV, radio, newspapers, and the Internet, voters can learn about candidates for themselves, and they should be trusted to choose their President. by Abdelmoughit El Jahidi
The Electoral College is unfair in several ways. First, it gives more weight to votes cast in small states.( Each state’ s electoral votes are equal to the number of members it has in the House and Senate combined.) Second, because the Electoral College is“ winner take all” in all but two states( Maine and Nebraska), people who disagree with the majority in their state are not represented. Finally, the system allows the election of a President who does not have the support of a majority of voters. Without the Electoral College, candidates would campaign to get as many individual votes as possible in every state, instead of focusing on states that provide key electoral votes. Each vote would make a difference and voters would feel they truly had a stake in the elections, which could lead to increased voting across the country. With a system of direct election, all votes would be equally important and equally sought after. We need to abolish the Electoral College and make our presidential elections“ one person, one vote …”
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