The US Presidential Electoral System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The US Presidential Electoral System - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the United States Electoral College system is the method that is used to translate the individual votes for a candidate into votes for the office of the presidency. While the system of electoral votes generally reflects the national will, it has the capacity to elect a president with a minority of the popular votes. Since its inception at the birth of our constitutional government, the Electoral College has been an issue that has been widely debated. While some see it as a stabilizing force in our two-party system, others see it as a vehicle that promotes unfair spending and inappropriate voter pandering. Intuition will tell us that in a democracy the popular vote should be the all-important component in the presidential election. Yet, the popular vote can bring the risk of chaos and splintered political parties. The US electoral system is in need of reform, and simple popular vote would be a move towards eliminating the current system 's inadequacies. The Electoral College system of electing a president uses a system where each state has a number of electoral delegates that are equal to the number of the members of the House of Representatives plus two. The voters then vote for a bloc of delegates that represent the individual candidates. After the election, the delegates cast their electoral vote and the winner is decided. This system was necessitated at the birth of the nation when counting a national popular vote was impractical.