Oct 18, 2016 the electoral college has 538 members, and each state has the same number of electors as it does house and senate seats. Civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states winnertakeall method of allocating u. What is the winnertakesall rule in the presidential election. Its a solution to the problem of tyranny and corruption and unrespon. In the 626page book npv supporters have authored, the voting rights act is. As of right now it looks like hillary clinton is going to lose the electoral college by a margin of 306 to 232. There are many good reasons to get rid of the electoral college, but the. The electoral college is an antidemocratic institution. The electoral college is not democratic vanity fair. A democracy serves the people but the winner take all only voices the. Why the electoral college ruins democracy adam ruins. Observer as well as a forthcoming book about the electoral college. Comparatively, individuals in wyoming have nearly four times the power in the electoral college as californians. Why the national popular vote plan is the wrong way to.
Popular vote plan npv has sought to abolish the electoral college with. The electoral college is antidemocraticand thats a good. By ditching this system for a simple popular vote, every citizens vote will count equally, candidates can pay visits to more than just the battleground states, and it would be virtually impossible to end in a tie. It is archaic and does not really protect smaller rural states from the unruly masses found in large cities. Why the electoral college ruins democracy adam ruins everything. Why the electoral college is the absolute worst, explained vox. Explain why some people say that the winner take all. How electoral college cheats democracy consortiumnews.
Dont abandon the electoral college its good for our democracy. The electoral college is an undemocratic mess whowhatwhy. Dec 02, 2016 what i do resent is that the electoral college, except for maine and nebraska, is a statebystate winner take all, rather than being divided up proportionally. What is the winnertakesall rule in the presidential. The electoral college is profoundly undemocratic by design. The electoral college has 538 members, and each state has the same number of electors as it does house and senate seats. It also looks like shes going to win the popular vote by well over half a million. Another responder writes that i think the electoral college can be salvaged by eliminating the winner take all system. All in all, its time for the electoral college to go. The winnertakeall electoral college system used by 48. The new yorker may earn a portion of sales from products and services that are purchased through links on our site as part of our affiliate partnerships with retailers. Very often they are skewed by geography, ethnicity, race, or other factors. It once again leaves us with the tyranny of the minority. In fact, people do not even technically vote for a candidate, they vote for electors who are pledged but not required to vote for a candidate when the electoral college convenes.
Explain why some people say that the winner take all system of the electoral college is under democrats. Its known as the winnertakeall system, where all electors go with the candidate who wins the popular vote regardless of how close the vote is. The equal protection argument against winner take all in. In fact, through how the electoral college is made up, how the winner take all system is unfair to even the candidates, how swing states basically make up who wins, and through the process of gerrymandering, these things are actually what decides who sits in. The electoral college is the way the state elect a president who is not supposed to represent the people. Explain why some people say that the winner take all system. But the present electoral college, with its pledged delegates and winner take all nonsense, is simply indefensible.
They are unfair to republicans and democrats alike, and. Now, for the second time in a generation, the electoral college has. The charge is made that the electoral college is blatantly distrustful and alarmingly paternalistic towards the american populace, not to mention being flatout undemocratic. Why isnt the electoral college considered undemocratic. Sep 20, 2016 in fact, through how the electoral college is made up, how the winner take all system is unfair to even the candidates, how swing states basically make up who wins, and through the process of gerrymandering, these things are actually what decides who sits in the oval office and not the vote of the people. Fixing elections shows our whole 18thcentury winner take all political system. A democracy serves the people but the winner take all only voices the electoral voters. Dec 22, 2007 another responder writes that i think the electoral college can be salvaged by eliminating the winner take all system.
All it takes is for a minority of members of parliament to be elected by an. There are single counties in some states that have. Blacker, has said repeatedly that there is no command that the states choose their presidential electors in one way only. Some have claimed that the electoral college is one of the most dangerous institutions in american politics.
For all the reverence paid to the popular vote in presidential elections, the. Robert hardaway first looks at the constitutional convention, the twelfth amendment, and historical elections where the electoral college has come into play, providing the historical background to the presentday college. Fundamental problems with the electoral college 2 of last 5 elections were won by. Weve never been and were unlikely to become one anytime soon. In defense of the electoral college its undemocratic. Electoral college change from winnertakeall system gains. The winner take all system of the electoral college is undemocratic because it is does not voice the majority of people. Advocates of the system say that this uneven power forces politicians to pay attention to smaller states, which would otherwise be ignored. The electoral college is an archaic and confusing process to choose a new leader. Yet many americans dont understand how the electoral college impedes democracy. This is unfair, undemocratic, and downright racist. Nov 14, 2016 the electoral college has come up quite a bit this week, as tends to happen during every presidential election in america. Nov 14, 2016 electoral college is no way to show off democracy.
The 1892 ruling, in fact, upheld a decision by the michigan legislature to switch from a winnertakeall to a districtbydistrict system. What i do resent is that the electoral college, except for maine and nebraska, is a statebystate winnertakeall, rather than being divided up proportionally. Its initial purpose was dubious at best and the spirit in which it was created was almost immediately subverted by the very men who created and defended it. The electoral college is undemocratic in support of the national popular vote interstate compact will hobbs, cornelius, or hd32 5037010733 the electoral college violates onepersononevote principle of a democracy in general, the effect a voter has is inversely proportional to the population of the state e. Winnertakeall electoral practice faces voterrights. The electoral college in its original form was admirable. Its a winnertakeall system used by 48 states that critics hope to have ultimately ruled unconstitutional. Hence the chorus of denunciation the electoral college is undemocratic. Winner take all or proportional would also take power away from the larger city areas. I have never heard any defense of it, let alone a good one. Hillary clinton blamed the electoral college for her stunning defeat in the 2016 presidential election in her latest memoirs, what happened. Nov 08, 2016 the electoral college is an antidemocratic institution.
The electoral college serves the interests of all people. The electoral college is unfairly weighted towards the smaller states as well. Electoral college is undemocratic des moines register. Unconstitutional and unfair to voters in 48 states. For proof, consider the two states mentioned above. How the terrible, skewed, anachronistic electoral college. The electoral college is undemocratic in support of the national popular vote interstate compact hb2927, sb823, sb824 will hobbs, cornelius, or hd32, sd16 5037010733. Despite its intentions, the electoral college does not. In defense of the electoral college national affairs. They meticulously scan the cvs of all the candidates, read their books and. Opinion end winnertakeall in the electoral college the. The electoral college makes american politics more inclusive, moderate, and stable than if we directly elected the president of the.
What i am not okay with is the silly winnertakesall system that most states use. In defense of the electoral college its undemocratic and thats good matt christiansen. Is winner take all electoral college voting in trouble. Nov 30, 2016 clearly, these people do not understand that the electoral college is the most undemocratic part of our democracy. The district of columbia and all but two states allocate their electoral college. In any close presidential vote, it is also a traditionnow verging on a requirementthat we have a brief debate over the electoral college. Nov 09, 2015 why the electoral college ruins democracy adam ruins everything. Any vote for the losing candidate doesnt count at the federal levela bipartisan issue. The electoral college favors the smaller states with disproportionate voting power. But the most significant constitutional point is that the supreme court, beginning with a decision in 1892 in the case of mcpherson v. Dont abandon the electoral college its good for our.
Fixing elections and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Why the electoral college is bad for america edwards iii, george c. Can anyone explain why the electoral college is undemocratic. Opinion end winnertakeall in the electoral college. But the present electoral college, with its pledged delegates and winnertakeall.
The electoral college is one of the most unique and undemocratic. How the terrible, skewed, anachronistic electoral college gave us trump once again, a democrat has won the popular vote but lost the election. Explain why some people say that the winner take all system of the electoral. Ap united states government and politics 2007 scoring guidelines question 1 5 points part a. The winner is picked not by the laws of elections but by the serendipity of the casino. In the current electoral college system, the presidency is awarded to the. Clearly, these people do not understand that the electoral college is the most undemocratic part of our democracy. The national popular vote, explained brennan center for justice. The sneaky plan to subvert the electoral college for the next election duration. In the smallest state, wyoming, each elector represents 200,000 people.
Democrats have been ready to ditch it for at least. Constitution, but later enacted by 48 states, without changing anything in the constitution, using the builtin method that the. Nov 19, 2016 in defense of the electoral college its undemocratic and thats good matt christiansen. In defense of the electoral college its undemocratic and. Nov 03, 2016 what is the winner takes all rule in the presidential election. Most are not of the pure one person, one vote kind. Winnertakeall electoral practice faces voterrights challenge. Nov 15, 2012 the electoral college is a strange mechanism, created to avert imaginary dangers, that violates basic democratic principles for no good reason.
Some democratic presidential hopefuls want to eliminate the electoral college. But due to the magic of the electoral college, donald trump will be the next. The electoral college is for states rights and it is valid. Feb 21, 2018 civil rights activists are challenging the legality of four states winnertakeall method of allocating u. The electoral college is a strange mechanism, created to avert imaginary dangers, that violates basic democratic principles for no good reason. Democracy is not an end goal, its a solution to a problem. Dec 04, 2009 it also seems undemocratic because our vote is essentially irrelevent. This study examines how the electoral college actually works, how it is supposed to work, and how it might be reformed. Dec, 2016 in any close presidential vote, it is also a traditionnow verging on a requirementthat we have a brief debate over the electoral college. This is precisely the problem with winnertakeall in the electoral college. A trouble prone and undemocratic system the electoral college is an institution that may have served a purpose 200 years ago when the founding fathers needed a system that would be met with approval by both large and small states. Why is the winnertakeall system undemocratic answers. The book then evaluates the current operation of the winner take all electoral college and explains whycontrary to the mantra of many of its defendersit is essentially different from the electoral college conceived by the american founders.
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