Essay Sample on Electoral College: Deciding Factor in US Presidential Elections

Introduction

During the presidential elections, millions of voters cast their polls, but votes from the Electoral College elects the next American president. Hence, the majority vote of the Electoral College stipulates the winner of the presidential election. The Electoral College is not compelled to replicate the national popular vote trend. Consequently, a candidate can win the polls with a marginal vote from 11 states in the Electoral College results (Evans & Gaines, 2019). Five out of the forty-five American presidents who have ruled since independence have received few votes; however, won in the Electoral College. For instance, in the 2016 presidential elections, Donald Trump secured 304 electoral votes while Hillary Clinton had 227 electoral votes. However, in the popular voter, Clinton received 65.8 million votes, whereas Trump had 62.9 million votes (Cohen, 2019). The five elections that had winners of the national popular vote failing to secure the Electoral College's endorsement has exposed the presidential election's democratic flaws. Given that the USA is a democratic nation, the national popular vote should determine the presidential election winner rather than the 270 Electoral College votes (Evans & Gaines, 2019). Therefore, the National Popular Vote Movement's view on presidential polls is superior to the Electoral College's system.

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The Popular Vote Movement seeks to grant each voter an equal amount of power to choose their presidential candidate. In the Electoral College voting system, the number of Representatives and Senators a state has in Congress reflects the total electoral votes that a specific state is entitled to (Belenky, 2016). Hence, each state has a minimum of three electoral votes. For example, in 2016, Wyoming had three electoral polls with about 255,000 voters creating a 2.85 voter value (Cohen, 2019). Similarly, Florida had nearly 9.4 million voters and twenty-nine electoral votes that created a 0.72 voter value. The Electoral College's voting system undermines the core democratic principle that bestows every voter equal ballot powers.

In the American polling system, most of the elective seats are based on the majority rule. However, it is only the presidential election that does not compile with popular vote approach. Senators, governors, and mayors are elected based on a majority voting outcome (Belenky, 2016). Unfortunately, in the Electoral College, a majority of the electoral votes form the simple majority required to elect the president. If the American voting system would endorse a popular national voting scheme, the election structures within the United States exemplify a direct democratic system.

The Popular Vote Moment aims at eliminating faithless elector risk. The Congress might have faithless electors who cast their electoral ballot to a different presidential candidate other than the one they had pledged to vote for (Evans & Gaines, 2019). Even though states can impose fines on a faithless elector for their deeds, it does not guarantee that senators and representatives will desist from such behaviors. In a national popular voting system, faithless electors will not influence the presidential election's outcome. For example, in the 2016 polls, there were about seven faithless electors (Cohen, 2019). The integration of a popular voting approach will eliminate the faithless electors' issue.

The Population Vote Movement seeks to encourage high voter turnout during the polls. One of the primary reasons for the low voter turnout is linked to the perception that some of the voters assume that their presidential vote does not count in electing the president. In the Electoral College voting scheme, if a particular state consistently supports one party, some of the Representatives or Senators who support a different political party might restrain from voting since they might lack the urge to cast their polls (Belenky, 2016). The National Popular Movement aims at establishing an electoral system that makes the votes count at the national and local level. Therefore, eliminating the Electoral College votes will inspire most of the citizens to turn out to vote for their preferred presidential aspirant.

A national popular voting system will ensure that security is improved across the entire American jurisdiction. Several logistical concerns are handled at the local level in every election. Some regions may opt to bend the electoral policies by extending the recommended voting hours unlawfully. Likewise, other areas struggle to handle higher voter turnout rates than the anticipated turnout levels (Cohen, 2019). However, if the elections are based on a popular polling approach, every area will be closely monitored on a real-time basis. Hence, enhancing the security of each poll cast and eliminating any chances that allow illegal activities that can alter the election results.

Battleground states will disappear if the American election system incorporates the Popular Vote Movement's views. Currently, the Electoral College's voting approach has led to presidential campaigns focusing on the battleground states. The battleground states tend to vote for presidential candidates from major political parties implying that Democrats in Mississippi or Republicans in California vote without attention or authority on their preferred candidates each election. Integrating a national popular vote scheme will eliminate the battleground states perception since the issue will be broader than just states reducing partisanship (Evans & Gaines, 2019). Currently, the American presidential elections are determined by a battleground of the blue states versus the red states. Such partisanship contributes to national divisions between citizens who support the American dream philosophy from different perspectives. In case, a popular voting system is endorsed, a state-by-state counting mechanism will determine the winner. As a result, a popular voting structure will minimize partisanship and demystify the battleground states mentality in the U.S polls.

Americans should acknowledge the main reasons that prompted the Founding Fathers to establish the Electoral College are irrelevant nowadays. Modern technology empowers voters to make informed decisions that the Founding Father had not anticipated. In 1788, Alexander Hamilton claimed that electors should be impartial (Belenky, 2016). Nonetheless, nowadays the Electoral College representatives are nominated by political parties and are expected to vote based on a partisan scheme irrespective of their views on the presidential candidates. Besides, constitutional amendments granted slaves and women the right to vote. Initially, senators were selected by state legislatures, but now they are elected through popular vote. Once upon a time, the vice presidency was granted to the electoral voting runners up; however, the procedure was modified to reflect the poll results (Belenky, 2016). Several laws that undermined direct democracy have been altered throughout history. Likewise, the Electoral College should be discarded or modified.

Conclusion

The Popular Vote Moment's scheme is superior to the Electoral College's approach to influencing the American presidential election outcomes. The popular vote system supports the majority rule principle that will ensure the opinion of most Americans surpasses the 270 Electoral College voters' interests. It will inspire a high voter turnout since it guarantees the voter that their decisions will be upheld at the local and national level elections. All the elective seats in the U.S polls are based on a majority rule system expect the presidential votes. Integrating the popular vote structure will eliminate faithless elector risk, the battleground states perception and enhance vigilance of the polls in entire American jurisdiction. Americans should acknowledge that the main reasons that compelled the Founding Fathers to form the Electoral College have become irrelevant due to technological advancement that enables voters to make informed decisions.

References

Belenky, A. (2016). The national popular vote plan: A brilliant idea or a dead-on-arrival delusion? Who Will Be The Next President? 93-118. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-44696-7_6

Cohen, A. (2019). The national popular vote, explained. Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved from https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/national-popular-vote-explained

Evans, J., & Gaines, B. (2019). The myth of the bipartisan national popular vote plan. The Forum, 17(2), 345-373. doi: 10.1515/for-2019-0020