Velasquez 1

Gissell Velasquez

Instructor Connie Douglas

ENG-112-01

29 March 2017

The Voices of the Electoral System

The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be of victory, but progress. Joseph

Joubert creates a prime idea of how we should view argument. Living in a country where minds

and voices speak freely is underappreciated and not seen of great importance when it comes to

key issues. When the presidential election comes, voices seem to be heard more versus any other

known event. Thus, the question discussed will be one asked for decades, is the Electoral College

still as valuable and needed in 2017?

First off, what is the Electoral College? According to the National Archives and Records

Administration (NARA), it is the committee of electors who vote our President and the Vice,

done through a count of electoral votes by our Congress. This collection of electors are not just

randomly in a position they are chosen by citizens. The Electoral College has a committee of 538

electors and are commonly chosen by peoples political party views. When the Presidential

Election occurs every four years, citizens vote and their votes go through their states Electors in

the Electoral college deciding which president wins a complete state and gets their vote as a

whole. The president who wins needs a total of 270 to be officially elected in the end. However,

regardless of the input the Electoral has stood over the years many feel it is no longer crucial to

our Legislative Branch. Three voices portraying these distinct points of views are brought to the

table. Starting with the Citizens who partake in the voting, the congress or government officials

stretching to presidential candidates, and lastly the members of the Electoral College.
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Ironically, the loudest voice at the table is the most effected being the citizens who have

to deal with who is chosen into office and their wide spread decisions. The citizens are a

combination of the new voters that are eighteen and above as well as newly granted citizenship

individuals. They include the American land born individuals and go on to older adults coming

from liberal, democratic, and republican backgrounds. The citizens having to make such an

influential choice for their families and themselves.

The citizens viewpoint consists of a balance of wanting the Electoral College still in

place versus seeing it no longer benefiting them as voters. There have been many circumstances

where individuals do not see the point in voting if majority of their state leans towards a certain

party. They see their vote not truly be counted for if the Electoral College having the final say.

On the other hand, some states more specifically smaller states see this as prime for without the

system the bigger states would simply vote who is in office. In a TED Talk, what does it mean to

be a citizen of the world? This idea is touched. The sense of needing to be part of something

greater than us. Evans the speakers goes into details revolving big community choices and

popular vote. Evans even suggest if many man-made choices have maybe corrupted this country

over time instead of helping us. The speaker Evans is a great example of being open minded to

both sides and the perspective of just being another citizen, another regular voter.

Another viewpoint is held by the congress and government officials as they have been

part of this system for a long time. They give more of an authority benefit perspective almost like

a parent who claims to know best but who seems to always know what is best. Those are the

voices who work in the system so believe it is what keeps order in our society as it has for years

now. However, they provide this through examples of candidates and smooth running of

elections over the years. It has been instilled in our constitution for decades and to cause change
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where there is not seen an issue seems absurd to officials. Michael Uhlmann also in the article,

The Electoral College strengthens Federalism discusses the importance our Electoral system has

on Federalism. Uhlmann goes on to how it is vital we have the system to have an equal voting

through states. Statistically, Americans do not respect the system because of underappreciation

for what it has done over the years according to Uhlmann. Rodney Dangerfield and Michael

Uhlmann end the discussion pointing out what democracy means and how the situation applies to

it.

The final voice is the actual committee of Electoral College as they work in this system.

Ironically, not all members always agree with how the system works. In the position, they are

asked to put their personal feelings aside regardless of their political viewpoint. In the job, they

must be fair to the majority of voting in the state they represent and follow specific rules and

regulations given. The regulations guided by the Constitution have been planted for decades and

have not been amended as it was seen fair. Randy Dotinga discusses how popular vote has high

value even with our system. It combined with a majority of a state decided the final outcome and

why would they want to be out of a job?

In conclusion, the most important voice is the citizens because they deal with the choices

made by the leader of the country. They are a big part of the voting process as without them we

wouldnt even have our system. Furthermore, they need to feel their voice matters at the table

regardless of high power individuals like the Government and Electoral College committee. The

question even if seemed answered remains unanswered. We have not seen the impact of popular

vote alone without the Electoral College so who are the citizens or officials to say it would not

work. The information presented by different views does give a wider understanding and inside

to the pros and cons of our Electoral System. In the end, all the voices combined matter to move
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our country forward and to make the choice of what matters which is choosing the best, most fit

person to be the President of the United States.

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Works Cited

Dotinga, Randy. "The Electoral College Weakens Federalism." The Presidential Election

Process. Ed. Tom Lansford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt.

from "A Backdoor Plan to Thwart the Electoral College." Christian Science Monitor

98.141 (16 June 2006): 1-10. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Ross, Tara. "The Electoral College Should Not Be Abolished." Democracy. Ed. Mike Wilson.

Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Electoral

College: Enlightened Democracy." Legal Memorandum. 2004. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

"What is the Electoral College?" National Archives and Records Administration. National

Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.

Uhlmann, Michael M. "The Electoral College Strengthens Federalism." The Presidential

Election Process. Ed. Tom Lansford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing

Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Old (Electoral) College Cheer: Why We Have It; Why We

Need It." National Review 56.21 (8 Nov. 2004): 28. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Web. 30 Mar. 2017.