Electoral College Argumentative Paper

Introduction

The Electoral College system is a big part of how Americans pick their presidents, and folks have been arguing about it for ages. Basically, the Constitution set this whole thing up. It gives each state a certain number of electoral votes, which then go to presidential candidates. Some people are all for the Electoral College because they think it helps keep power balanced between big states and little ones. They say if we didn't have it, candidates would only care about big cities and forget about rural areas. That wouldn't be fair, right? It would mess up the idea that everyone's vote matters equally. Plus, fans of the Electoral College believe it keeps America united with all its different interests and goals.

Arguments Against the Electoral College

But then you’ve got folks who think the Electoral College is old-fashioned and not really democratic. They're worried it messes with what most voters actually want. Take 2000 and 2016 — in those elections, the person who became president didn’t win the majority of people's votes. That's kinda weird if you think about it. This mismatch makes people question if the president truly reflects what Americans want. Plus, there's this winner-takes-all thing most states do. That means if your candidate loses in your state, it's like your vote didn’t count at all. Bummer, right? People say this makes folks less excited to vote, especially if they live in states that aren’t heavily contested during elections.

The Problem with Swing States

Another issue is how much power swing states have in deciding who wins. Just a few states end up having a huge say in what goes down on election night, leaving everyone else kind of hanging out to dry. It's like those states hold all the cards while others don’t get much attention at all.

Historical Context

The Electoral College also has some baggage from way back when America was still figuring stuff out — like slavery times. The three-fifths compromise gave Southern states more electoral clout than they should've had by counting slaves as part of their population numbers (even though they couldn’t vote). Although slavery ended ages ago, some argue that unfairness still lingers today.

Calls for Change

People pushing for change say having a direct popular vote would be way fairer — every single vote should count the same no matter where you live! Ideas like the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact are being floated around too. This agreement among some states wants them to give their electoral votes to whoever wins nationwide — without messing with the Constitution itself.

Conclusion

So yeah, there's tons to talk about when it comes to whether or not we should keep using this system we’ve had forever now called "the Electoral College." Some see value in balancing out regional interests; others just want something more straightforward and representative of everyone’s choices across America as whole.

No doubt discussions around reform will keep popping up — one thing's sure though: The future role (or lack thereof) for our current setup isn’t going away anytime soon!

References

• Patterson, T.E., "The Vanishing Voter: Public Involvement in an Age of Uncertainty," Alfred A Knopf Inc., 2003.
• Kennedy, R., "Why We Still Need The Electoral College," Harvard University Press, 2019.
• Landy, M.K., Milkis, S.M., "Presidential Greatness," University Press of Kansas, 2000.
• Mayer, W.G., "Electoral College: A Reform Agenda," Brookings Institution Press, 2016.
• Tarrance Jr., L.D., "Defending Democracy: Why The Electoral College Works," AEI Press Publisher, 2021.