Should we keep the Electoral College?

Question

If we had just stuck to the popular vote, we wouldn't have this mess in the first place! We wouldn't have to decide whether we need another 4 years of Bush with McCain or take a risk with Obama. I think the electoral vote is just a way to manipulate the public or some sort of tool that's unnecessary and easily corrupted, shouldn't it be time to just get rid of it? Is it really helping the process or just hurting it?

Answer 1

We're the United STATES, not the United Individuals.  States have a legitimate voice in electing the President.  If the Electoral College were abolished, no candidate would ever visit places such as North Dakota or Wyoming.  The Founding Fathers were brilliant to include the Electoral College in the Constitution.

EDIT: Ed, that's not what the Winner Takes All rule means.  It means that if candidate A gets 50% plus 1 of the votes cast in a state, he gets all the electoral votes from that state.

Answer 2

I disagree with the electoral college...for a couple of reasons...

first it is not representative of the popular vote.  

youhave a state that lets say has 10 electoral votes...

a candidate can win that state 51% to 49% and get all 10 votes...

not a true representation of what the people of that state want!

Second...there are states that have the "winner take all" rule...meaning that 100% of the state can vote for one candidate but if the majority of the states cast their electoral votes for the other...that states votes go to the other...again not representative of the people...

the electoral college is wrong!

Answer 3

I don't see the whole point of the electoral college. Really. I would love to see it abolished so we can have a president that that would be an honest representation of who the country really voted for.

Answer 4

The Founding Fathers were very wise men.  We will leave it at that.

Answer 5

I think we need to get rid of it and let the people's will speak for itself. The Popular vote should be all that matters. The electoral college should vote the popular vote not their own will.  

Answer 6

Without it only cities would matter to politicians.....and only the biggest cities.  So unless you live in LA, DC, Detroit, NYC, etc., your vote would be meaningless.

It sounds good, but you have to think about it and who the politicians would pander to.

Answer 7

I agree! We're supposed to be a democracy, but the Electoral Vote places the fate of the presidency in the hands of a few select individuals.

Why can't the USA have a simple popular vote like other nations? States are disproportionally represented, what happens if you're a Republican in New York, or a Democrat in Texas? There's no point in even voting!