Electoral College Should Be Replaced

Question 1

Weaker, should not be replaced as it protects against tyranny of the majority

Answer 1

• FF wary of unrestricted popular vote so wrote protections against uneducated masses
• wary of new ideas and ideologies
• 700 attempts to eliminate EC
• article 5 allows amendments but hard to gain with polarisation in congress and unwillingness of states to support
• prevents against dictatorship, elected president cannot change constitution as easily as it is codified

Question 2

Should be replaced as the ec can defy the popular vote

Answer 2

• goes against popular sovereignty and highlights the outdated nature of the constitution
• Clinton lost in 2016 despite having 3 million more votes than trump, could have prevented trumps presidency and thus his unpopularity
• arguably one of the ECs biggest mistakes
• Al gore 2000 48% votes, more than bush but bush had more ECV at 271

Question 3

Should not be replaced as it protects smaller states

Answer 3

• protection of federalism is ensured, us population consentated in a few costal densely populated states like California and Florida
• sparsely populated states can be ignored as they don’t hold as many votes
• In close contests, which is very often due to the US polarisation, candidates will be conscious of all ECV including small states
• Nevada 2024 swing state 6 ECV
• democrat blue belt essential to their support
• Vermont 3, New Hampshire 4
• New Hampshire swing state in 2000
• ensures equity of states to elect
• Maine and Nebraska use the district method to ensure greater representation

Question 4

Should be replaced as smaller states are over represented

Answer 4

• electorate of more popular states lose out as their votes are worth less through the electoral college
• Whoming 3 ECV 580k population
• Florida 30 ECV with population 22 million
• political power disproportional
• Washington DC 100k more population than Wyoming but both have 3 ECV
• Cali 54 ECV, one vote for every 675k people where’s Wyoming has one vote for every
• reflects the amount of reps in each state, bigger states with more people have significantly less reps in comparison to smaller states

Question 5

Should not be replaced as two party system has consistently produced clear result

Answer 5

• all but 2 elections
• president claims mandate
• trump 2024 312 ECV and Obama 2012 won both pop vote and ECV, clear winners

Question 6

Should be replaced Excludes 3rd parties from competing for presidency

Answer 6

• win dispersed support but no ECV
• winner of state takes all ECV in 48 states with a simple majority
• Ross Perot 1992 won 19% popular vote but no ECV due to dispersed support
• best of two evils contest, entrenched two party system, winner has always been repub or democ