What does the Electoral College and the process of presidential selection represent for US democracy?
Essay 1 Background The US regularly displays its democratic tendencies every 4 years through a general election for the presidency. In the middle of campaigns, debates and voter deliberation, the issue of how the presidency is chosen is often ignored. With all of the debates and disagreements in mind, most US voters often forget or are unaware that the president is selected by the Electoral College, a body of electors, equal to the number of members of the house and senate in each state. The Electoral College is selected in each state on a particular basis. Electors are often party members. In some cases they are pledged to vote in line with a party preference, in other cases, electors are free to vote as they please, even if it contradicts the popular vote. With that in mind, voters do cast a vote for the president every 4 years via the popular vote, but it is the vote of the electors that determines who will become the president in any general election not the vote of the people. However, the bottom line is that the people do not select electors, therefore who becomes the president of the US in any case is not up to the general population. Instructions For this assignment, you will need to explain how the Electoral College selects the president. In addition to that, you will need to make a case for or against the Electoral College and consider the role of the popular vote along with majority rule. What method do you think is best for selecting the president? Ultimately, what does the Electoral College and the process of presidential selection represent for US democracy? Feel free to consider any of the following questions when shaping your response, How does the Electoral College treat the aspirations and will of US voters? To what extent can people trust voters to make an important decision like presidential selection? What types of benefits does the Electoral College provide for voters and the general public when it comes to the presidential election? Who are the faithless electors and how does their role contribute to the overall process? What are some of the biggest flaws of the Electoral College? How does the Electoral College interact with a democratic way of decision making? What potential does the popular vote have as a model of presidential selection? How should the process of presidential selection be determined? Assigned Reading, Please Read The Following National Archives and Records Administration, Electoral College https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/electors.html Edwards III, George C. “Opinions Five Myths About the Electoral College” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-electoral-college/2012/11/02/2d45c526-1f85-11e2-afca-58c2f5789c5d_story.html?utm_term=.984ab123d260 Five myths about the electoral college – The Washington Post.pdf Maibach, Michael C. “A Defense of the Electoral College” https://edsitement.neh.gov/feature/defense-electoral-college#undemocratic Feel free to choose any of the following to help you determine your response Beinart, Peter. “The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/the-electoral-college-was-meant-to-stop-men-like-trump-from-being-president/508310/ Letters to the Editor, “Questioning the electoral college and ‘one person, one vote” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/questioning-the-electoral-college-and-one-person-one-vote/2016/11/28/feb5b586-b355-11e6-bc2d-19b3d759cfe7_story.html?utm_term=.2c870b666307 Guelzo, Allen and James Hulme, “Post Everything: In Defense of the Electoral College” https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/11/15/in-defense-of-the-electoral-college/?utm_term=.e4eda2df20ba Samples, Jon. “In Defense of the Electoral College” https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/defense-electoral-college Trees, Andrew, “Electoral College is no way to show off democracy: Column” https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/11/14/trump-clinton-popular-vote-electoral-college-democracy-column/93773104/ Pilkington, Ed. “Faithless electors’ explain their last-ditch attempt to stop Donald Trump” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/19/electoral-college-faithless-electors-donald-trump Dorgan, Bryon. “Electoral College Works Quietly, Just As Founders Intended”
