Blog 4, 6/10: Debating the Constitution
Alexander Keyssar, in "Revisiting the Constitution: Do Away With the Electoral College," writes: "As a nation, we have come to embrace "one person, one vote" as a fundamental democratic principle, yet the allocation of electoral votes to the states violates that principle. "
Keyssar explains how the Electoral College is the antithesis of democracy because it does not follow the "one person, one vote" foundation of democracy. The Electoral College makes the popular vote useless. As stated by Keyssar," …the legislature of any state can decide to choose electors by itself and decline to hold an election at all…" We do not vote directly for the president but for electors who then cast their vote for the president. According to archives.gov, electors cast their vote according to state law or pledges made to parties, but it is common practice for electors to vote with the popular vote (within their state). The act of casting a vote as a citizen is useless: it is more symbolic than anything else.
I agree with Keyssar. The Electoral College should be abolished. If it weren't for the Electoral College, President Trump would not be our president. Interestingly enough, Keyssar's argument for doing away with the Electoral College is that is it anti-democratic and violates the "fundamental democratic principle," an attitude not supported by The Federalist Papers. Madison and the framers of the constitution favored representatives and the Electoral College. They shied away from a direct democracy suggested by Keyssar.
Keyssar explains how the Electoral College is the antithesis of democracy because it does not follow the "one person, one vote" foundation of democracy. The Electoral College makes the popular vote useless. As stated by Keyssar," …the legislature of any state can decide to choose electors by itself and decline to hold an election at all…" We do not vote directly for the president but for electors who then cast their vote for the president. According to archives.gov, electors cast their vote according to state law or pledges made to parties, but it is common practice for electors to vote with the popular vote (within their state). The act of casting a vote as a citizen is useless: it is more symbolic than anything else.
I agree with Keyssar. The Electoral College should be abolished. If it weren't for the Electoral College, President Trump would not be our president. Interestingly enough, Keyssar's argument for doing away with the Electoral College is that is it anti-democratic and violates the "fundamental democratic principle," an attitude not supported by The Federalist Papers. Madison and the framers of the constitution favored representatives and the Electoral College. They shied away from a direct democracy suggested by Keyssar.
Comments
Post a Comment