The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College

 

    The Electoral College is a system used in America that has been used for centuries to elect its Presidents. The Electoral College is a group of electors appointed by each state, to represent each state when electing a new President and Vice President. There are 538 Electors in the Electoral college, made up by the United States’ Congress, Senate, and three Electors from Washington D.C. Each state gets a certain amount of Electors depending on its population. When running for President candidates try to get at least 270 votes from the Electors in order to win the election. Despite the fact that this system seems pretty simple there are pros and cons to using this system. 

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    Some citizens dislike the Electoral College system. Sometimes the difference between the number of Electors each state has is extreme. This leads to problems because if one candidate wins Alaska, Delaware, Washington D.C, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wyoming, Rhode Island, and Utah they will have 47 Electoral votes. However, if another candidate wins California they will have 55 Electoral votes. This causes voters in lower populated states to feel underrepresented and wants the president to be selected based on the majority vote. 

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    On the other hand some citizens like the Electoral College. Every time there is a census the number of Electors that each state has can change. So that it is believed to represent the number of people in each state. Many pro-Electoral College citizens believe this keeps the voting system fair. In addition, the Electoral College makes it easier for presidents to campaign. Candidates know what states have the most impact in the election which helps them know what states campaign in order to win the election. All in all, there are many pros and cons to using the Electoral College system for elections, and as we advance as a nation the voting system will have to adapt to the changing demands of its country.