The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College

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The Electoral College: Indispensible or Unnecessary? The Electoral College plays a vital role in American politics — so why is it so misunderstood and so frequently criticized? The Electoral College is the method by which a president is elected: each state and the District of Columbia hold voting contests, then cast a set number of electoral votes for a candidate based on the results of the state contest. A candidate must gain 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. The system may seem confusing or unnecessary, but its importance is revealed by the care taken by the Founding Fathers in designing the Electoral College, which was described in more detail and at greater length than any other issue addressed in the Constitution (Guelzo and Hulme). Despite this, many still call for a shift to a popular vote system for the presidential election; however, such a change would be a mistake. The Electoral College should not be abolished and replaced by a popular vote because it is necessary to uphold the structure of the United States government, to protect the interests of the whole nation, and to preserve the integrity of the presidential election. Opponents of the Electoral College frequently argue that the Electoral College is outdated to the point of becoming obsolete, that it contradicts America’s identity as a democracy, and that it gives too much power to states with a small population. Critics of the Electoral College condemn it as a relic of a bygone era. They say that,

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