The reason why have chosen the Electoral College as a topic of discussion in this paper is because of its complexity. Exploring the system is significant because of the recent debate questioning its effectiveness. There are political scientists who still advocate for Electoral College as a system that can help America to continue growing in terms of democracy (Mulroy 123). Therefore, the debate between those against and those in support of the Electoral College is the reason as to why I have found it challenging to find a satisfactory answer on whether the system is beneficial or detrimental to the American people. As such, the topic is not new to me because I have been trying to find the right person that can enlighten me on the advantages and disadvantages of using the system. The knowledge about the Electoral College will help to inform my perception about the method.
Research Questions
- Is the Electoral College still effective in the 21st century?
- Does the Electoral College process reflect the will of the people?
- Is it time to replace the Electoral College and adopt a new system?
Annotation of Sources
Mulroy, Steven. Rethinking US Election Law: Unskewing the System. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018.
This source is helpful in answering my research questions concerning the use of the Electoral College system in the United to elect the president. The author focuses on the recent U.S. elections that have made many political experts to question the method of choosing the president (Mulroy 119). Specifically, the author discusses how the winner-take-all system and the single-member district elections lead to complications of the Electoral College. Mulroy also suggests various solutions on how the complications can be fixed. For instance, the author proposes the reforming of the National Popular Vote interstate compact to eliminate the Senate filibuster. The author uses a timely analysis of election politics and law as evidence to support his arguments. The main audience for this resource is the scholars and students interested in political science and election law. In his analysis, Mulroy does not exhibit any biasness but instead displays objectivity by calling for reforms instead of discarding the whole system.
Villegas, Christina. “Electing the People’s President: The Popular Origins of the Electoral College.” Perspectives on Political Science, vol. 47, no. 4, 2018, pp. 201–209. Web.
In this paper, Villegas explores how various experts interpret the Electoral College with regards to what it was meant to achieve by analyzing various criticisms. The article will be important in tackling the research questions especially in providing answers to whether the Electoral College system is beneficial to the American people or detrimental. The main idea of the article is to demonstrate to readers the primary objective of the Electoral College, which is, maintaining the popular influence over the election of the United States president (Villegas 205). Villegas uses arguments for those in support and against the method to prove his opinion and perception about the American election process. The author’s main targets include scholars and students pursuing political science and law courses.
Virgin, Sheahan G. “Competing Loyalties in Electoral Reform: An Analysis of the U.S. Electoral College.” Electoral Studies, vol. 49, 2017, pp. 38–48. Web.
In this article, the author explores political parties as central tenets that shape the American electoral system. According to Virgin, political parties often seek to influence specific desired outcomes through the strategic adoption of particular electoral rules. The author believes that the U.S. Electoral College has for years allowed parties to manipulate election rules that suit their geographic interests (Virgin 40). Virgin argues that the method used for selecting the U.S. president only advantages some states over others hence creating salient geographic allegiances. Virgin uses an original dataset from one suggested reform, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as evidence to demonstrate how the Electoral College contributes to competing party loyalties. The article is important in helping me to explore the vulnerability of the Electoral College. The main targets of this article include scholars and students studying political science and election laws.
Other Viewpoints from a Political Expert
In an interview with Mr. Blue (not his real name), a political analyst, he argues that the use of the Electoral College method has numerous impacts on the political system of the United States. The expert, however, believes that the abolishment of the Electoral College method would negatively impact American politics. Mr. Blue argues that the president would no longer be elected by a collective will of all the states but rather by states that have a large population of voters. He also notes that the Electoral College system has been instrumental in eliminating any potential nationwide recount threat. In the history of the American polls, there were a few instances which would have ideally resulted in a recount but did not because of the Electoral College system (Virgin 44). Therefore, from Mr. Blue’s perspective, the Electoral College has numerous advantages, such as the few listed above. For instance, it provides opportunities for individuals to present their wishes and diminishes examples of a nationwide recount of about 300 million ballots. However, Mr. Blue admits that despite the Electoral College having numerous benefits, it also has some drawbacks.
In conclusion, having intensely exploited the United States Electoral College system in addition to conducting an online interview with a political analyst, I must admit that I have been persuaded to reconsider my hard stance. I now view the Electoral College process with an open mind unlike before when I blindly opposed it, although I still favor the popular vote system. Because most researchers are split over whether to dismantle the Electoral College and establish popular vote as the only way of selecting the President, I would suggest additional study.