The electoral college is a process through which the United States elects a president into office. In line with this system, each state elects a number of voters that is equal to the number of delegates in the United States Congress. Each state has varying rules in place to guide the election of vote casters during state conventions. Even though Americans directly participate in voting to choose their presidential candidate, the members of the electoral college elect the president. In contrast, the popular vote aggregates all the votes cast across all states. A presidential candidate who garners the most votes wins the popular vote but does not win the election. I support the retention of the electoral college as the system fulfils its mandate of creating a barrier when an unsuitable candidate is elected to the role of the president through popular vote.
The electoral vote supports a political structure that favours of a representative republic. The citizens vote under the influence of their political affiliations when electing delegates or representatives into the electoral college. On the other hand, the popular vote assumes the political structure of direct democracy whereby the citizens vote for their chosen official. The candidate with the majority of votes is elected to the position after the votes are counted. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison articulate the importance of the electoral college in Federalist Paper No. 10. According to the federalist paper, the existence of the electoral college protects against the possible emergence of a tyranny orchestrated by the majority and factions. For this reason, the responsibility of electing a president is entrusted to the members of the electoral college. The framers of the constitution formulated the electoral college as a compromise for electing the president through state legislatures, Congress and the popular vote.
The framers of the constitution created the electoral college as an extra layer in the process of directly electing the president. Some of the nation’s founders such as James Madison were afraid that democracy would lead to the proliferation of factions. He described factions as groups of citizens sharing a common interest that violates the rights of other citizens. James Madison feared that the growth of factions to include more than 50 per cent of the population would contribute to a tyranny of the majority. The framers created the electoral college anticipating that the majority could sacrifice its interests and passions. James Madison proposed the formation of a republic in which the government owns the scheme of representation as a remedy for the tyranny of the majority. Hence, the electoral college not only preserves the sense of the people but also ensures the president is chosen by credible electors.
The founders intended the electoral college to be a decision-making institution that serves the purpose of reducing uncertainty arising from popular participation. For this reason, the electoral college system increases the likelihood that only qualified candidates will be elected to the presidency. According to Madison, the members of the electoral college are less bias and hence best suited to elect the president given that they are well-educated on America’s political structure and progression of voting. Madison described the members of the electoral college as “men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted at the station and acting under circumstances favourable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducement which were proper to govern their choice”. Notably, the electoral college hardly opposes the popular vote taking into account that citizens equally possess access to advanced political and literacy knowledge. Nevertheless, the opposition is subdued in a few exceptional cases whereby the result of the popular vote opposes the electoral vote. The opposition is executed based on the wise conscience of the federalist’s intentions. For this reason, the electoral college is an effective method of checking and balancing voters during presidential elections.
Alexander Hamilton warned that the popular vote could be utilized to advance non-majoritarian interests. As a result, the majority would be overpowered by the clustering of the population. In comparison, the electoral college mandates presidential candidates to construct geographically diverse coalitions. Alexander Hamilton believed that the popular vote relinquishes power to counties which are indifferent to the needs of other counties located in rural parts of America. In essence, the electoral college protects the rights of citizens in smaller states. Furthermore, states independently design their mechanisms for choosing electors without interference from the federal government.
The electoral college system localizes the effect of widespread problems such as fraud that are commonly experienced at the state-level. The system ensures that no single political party can commit extensive electoral fraud that may influence the results of the election. The electoral college requires distribution of popular support for the presidential candidate to win the election. Consequently, the system fosters cohesion as support is required at the national level to win the electoral college. Moreover, the electoral college prioritizes the interests of the majority whereas also safeguarding the concerns and interests of the minority. Votes cast by the minority in a state affects the overall result of the election given that most states award all the electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote.
The electoral college maintains a consensus which supports the independent exercising of political powers by states and local governments. The structure of government advanced by the electoral college system allows national representation of each voter. The electoral college promotes political stability by accentuating the two-party system which provides reassurance and reasonable certainty regardless of the political party that wins the presidential elections. The system prevents other arms of government from deciding who serves in the executive by allowing voters to make changes after every four years. The electoral college permits the electorate to cast votes based on the voting trend in their state hence allowing individuals to vote for candidates they desire. Therefore, every state in the country has an equal vote for a president that matches the size of the total population. The electoral college nurtures fairness based on this regional perspective.
In conclusion, the electoral college is an important compromise in the constitution that should not be abolished and replaced in favour of the popular vote as the system protects the rights of minorities, mandates popular support and maintains political stability by upholding the two-party system. Nonetheless, the electoral college serves as a vital check and balance mechanism that ensures only suitable individuals ascend to the office of president. Additionally, the electoral college protects the nation from the adversity posed by the tyranny of majority and factions that may seek to advance interests that violate the rights of other citizens.