America is not a democracy, although America may say it is. This idea shocks and angers many Americans, however they would be more enraged if it was a true democracy. The definition of a democracy means the majority rules, but if this was how elections operated, the U. S. government would be hectic. The government would focus on large cities and small, meager states would be left voiceless. Abolishing the Electoral College would cause elections to become more regional, more unfair, and more corrupt.
The Electoral College allows elections focus on smaller states, creating a national election. The government was created to appease to the states; with the Electoral College, states have a louder voice. “States are allocated one elector for each of their representatives in Congress. Each state therefore automatically receives a minimum of three votes… regardless of population… There are currently 538 total electors”(Ross). The Electoral College fashions an opportunity for everyone to have a voice in their state and in their nation.
Having the voting process correlate with the state, causes voters to have their voices amplified. Citizens now have a vote out of the population of their state and not out 319 million U. S. citizens. It also allows campaigns to not only be in focus of massive cities but in “swing states”. The smaller states that have more of a say than if the government just used the popular vote. Elections are for a national vote and not just and regional vote in massive cities who would decide the entire fate of the nation if it wasn’t for the Electoral College.
The founding fathers organized the Electoral College so it would have fair elections. “The Founding Fathers created a stable, well-planned, and carefully designed system, and it works. Hamilton also wrote that this system of intermediaries would produce a greater amount of stability, and that an’… intermediate body of electors will be much less apt to convulse the community with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of one who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes” (Stepman).
The founding fathers were wise and knew if they set up true democracy elections could turn to tyranny and to violence very quickly. They experienced the tyranny and the unfairness from their prior government and knew if they didn’t want a corrupt government, so the fathers tried to develop the best form of government they could and their ideal government included the Electoral College. The Electoral College allows minorities to have a voice, not letting the majority rule in America, the land of the diverse.
Such a form of government (republican democracy), the Founders believed, would allow them to achieve two potentially conflicting objectives: avoiding the “tyranny of the majority” inherent in pure democratic systems, while allowing the “sense of the people” to be reflected in the new American government”(Ross). The sense of the people was important to the founding fathers. They wanted the small potato farmer from Idaho, the corn farmer in lowa, and the cattle rancher in Texas to be involved in the nation’s politics due to their hard work and dedication.
Without the Electoral College their crucial voices would be drowned out by the millions of voices in large cities who may not understand their way of life. “The Electoral College protects and empowers minorities… by forcing candidates to compete for states rather than for individual votes, the Electoral College system gives minorities a stronger voice” (Science Buzz). It is important for everyone to have a voice and contribute to their nation. The Electoral College provides a way for minorities to have a voice and be part of their state and nation.
The Electoral College helps alleviate the corruption in the voting process with checks and balances. Electoral college creates check and balances so one region doesn’t decide the fate of the nation. It also dismisses corruption in the voting process. For example, during the voting process many people stack the votes, but with the college, it alleviates the part of the corruption. The election of 2000 was close and needed a recount. “Because of the Electoral College, we did not have to recount the whole nation. Instead we could focus on a more manageable task-recounting the state of Florida.
Imagine the problems that would arise, tensions that would exist, and the claims of illegitimacy likely to follow if the entire nation had to be counted, and then recounted to ascertain the results of the election” (Lempert). The Electoral College protects the government from avoidable problems such as a recount. Elections can also be full of anxiety for many voters and many supporters of the candidates but with the Electoral College, citizens can have peace of mind knowing that their election are less corrupt with the college.
In recent years many Americans have become against the Electoral college but they do not understand the advantages of this great system. This system gives them a louder voice during the election benefiting their party. They don’t understand that the elections are geared toward the state not the population, which overall is a better way to govern elections. The founding fathers knew how to establish a government to govern the people the best it could, citizens should trust the founding fathers and enjoy their freedoms they were given.
