Electoral College in Modern Politics

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The Electoral College is the complex method by which the United States of America elects its president. While conducive to the political environment of the Founding Fathers, elections in the United States have changed dramatically since that time, and thus the Electoral College has outlived its usefulness in American politics. The Electoral College was established at a time where communications technology was limited, and thus the founders had to consider the potential of an uninformed electorate. In addition, states have altered the method by which electoral votes are allocated. The Electoral College also unequally apportions electoral votes due to the significant population increase since it was established. The Electoral College is created by Article II of the Constitution, and is further outlined in the 12th Amendment. As described by Nicholas R Miller, “designing the mode of selecting the President was one of the most difficult tasks that confronted the framers,” (3). In determining how to elect the president, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 considered three options: appointment by legislature, a direct election by the people, or a hybrid of both. Appointment by legislature was considered, as that was the method most states used to elect the governor; however, delegates feared it would upset the balance of the three branches of government by making the president beholden to congress (Johnson 12-13). They then considered a direct election by the people. This method was viewed as being the most democratic, but presented a myriad of problems. Most significantly, small state delegates were apprehensive to a direct vote by the people, as they worried votes in their states would be overpowered by votes in larger, more populous states (Johnson 12). With appointment by legislature considered a threat to the balance of powers, and a direct vote

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