...If college and the Electoral College have anything in common, it is that they both throw away the importance of what was once important. Grades have less value in college; popular votes, as in the public’s votes, have less value in the Electoral College. Nonetheless, both have a plethora of differences, a major one being that no one wants to terminate college whereas the fate of the Electoral College is hotly debated. Should the Electoral College be abolished? To conclude an answer, one should understand the functionalities of it. The Electoral College is a process, penned by the Founding Fathers hundreds of years ago, that is used to determine the United States’ President and vice-president indirectly. Each state will receive a certain amount...
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...The Electoral College is a very fair way to elect the President of the United States it represents all areas of the country. I don’t think the Electoral College should be replaced there may be so ways to improve it but not replace. The Electoral College was approved when the 12th Amendment was ratified in 1804. I think this system is fair because all areas of the country must be heard so it gives every state a voice. If you look at past elections different states have decided the election. Sometime it Iowa, maybe Wisconsin or Michigan, even Ohio or North Carolina. This system forces candidates to go to Iowa and Ohio to hear the concerns of those people. The Electoral College changes often when the census is done and congressional lines are...
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...All of the sections of government were balanced and in check with the other sections. Some people have said that if we abolished the Electoral College it would remove a big part of the free and balanced nature of our American government system. “ The desire of Americans to maintain a balanced government where no one source of power reigns above any other, calls for such systems as the bicameral legislature and the Electoral College” (McCollester). Others have stated that because the citizens of our country elect the Electoral College Members it should keep it fair and balanced. The individuals that are appointed to the Electoral College are representative of the political parties that they represent. They also have a duty to support and uphold the agenda of that political party. While citizen’s vote and choose representatives, the representatives actually “control the drawing of electoral districts and thereby decide who the representatives will represent” (Thompson). When our founding fathers created the Electoral College, we can agree that their intention was to keep the process fair and balanced, not allow the representatives to choose their...
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...The popular vote should be used for an Presidential Election. The Electoral College is basically people voting for people to vote for who they want as president. The Electoral College makes something simple so much more complex. It would be easier to just use the popular vote instead of having people vote to vote for who they want. The popular vote is a much better representation on who people really want as their president. A reason the Electoral college shouldn’t be used because it shows lack of faith in American voters . The Electoral college was formed in the late 1700’s because of people that might lack knowledge of presidential candidates and because the founding fathers didn’t want a direct election. At the present time, We can easily...
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...The Electoral College Should Be Abolished The Electoral College has been around for over 200 years. It was made in a time when the population of the United States wasn’t as large as it is now so, the Electoral College helped give smaller populated areas more power in elections. There are 538 qualified electors and to become president you’ll need 270 votes from the Electoral College. The amount of electoral votes a state gets is determined by the population of the whole state. A state is given one electoral vote for every representative and two for each senator. When a person goes to vote they aren't really voting for the president they are voting for an elector to cast their vote on the candidate that gets the most popular votes in that state. So, if the population of a state votes for a presidential candidate by even 1% more than the other, all the electors in that state need to cast in their vote for the presidential candidate that won by that 1%. For years, the question of whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not has been floating around. The Electoral College should be abolished. It takes away voting rights of...
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...Electoral College Debate Introduction As said by Juan Williams, a journalist for FOX News, “In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore got more votes than George W. Bush, but still lost the election. The Supreme Court's ruling in Florida gave Bush that pivotal state, and doomed Gore to lose the Electoral College. That odd scenario - where the candidate with the most votes loses - has happened three times in U.S. history.” Although forty-five U.S. presidents have been elected and this scenario has only happened three times, it still leads to scrutiny, questions, and arguments about the effectiveness of the Electoral College. These disputes have gone on for quite a while as to which method of choosing the president is the best option. The electoral...
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...The Electoral College should be changed to election by popular vote when choosing the president. The standard way of explaining the Electoral College would be a process that “consists of the selection and the meeting of electors” (Source 1: What is the Electoral College) this is then where the president and the vice president are voted for and the counts of the presidential electoral votes are taken place Basics of the Electoral College are the entitled allotment of electors a state has equals the number of members in its congressional delegation. Article one points out “one for each member of the house of Representatives and two for the senator. (Article 1) To elect a president 270 electoral votes are required. So at least 270 electoral votes from 538 electors guarantee’s office, or at least a certain party in office. When you think you’re voting for your candidate to be the president you’re really...
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...Christian Llerena BUS 200 Dr. Lasher 3/19/12 The Electoral College is defined as “a body of electors chosen by the voters of each state to elect the President and Vice President of the United States”. The Electoral College system has been a staple in the United States since the ratification of The Constitution, however there is much debate on whether it should remain or be done away with completely. In this essay, I will give a brief history on the Electoral College, how it works, and why it was created in the first place. Despite the shortcomings and limitations of the Electoral College I believe that it should not be abolished because it contributes to the cohesiveness of the country, it maintains a federal system of government, and it maintains the interests of minority groups. To begin with, I will discuss how the Electoral College works. The Electoral College operates by having each state allocate a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. Senators (always 2) along with the number of its U.S. Representatives (varies from state to state depending on its population). Next, after all their caucuses and primaries, each party nominates their candidates for president and vice president. After that, the people from each state vote for a party’s slate of electors. Whichever party slate gains the most popular votes becomes the slate of electors for that state. Then, the electors meet in their respective state’s capitol and cast their votes for president and vice...
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...Both sides were sure voice their opinions on their arguments. Not everyone was in favor of the Constitution, and those did not agree were very passionate about it. George Mason refused to sign the Constitution unless it had a Bill of Rights Patrick Henry led the attack on the Constitution in Virginia Those two famous Anti- Federalists felt that the power was not balanced enough and that the states would not have enough power. On the other hand, those who supported the Constitution were just as passionate, maybe even more than the Anti- Federalists. Hamilton, Jay and Madison wrote 85 essays called the “Federalists Papers”. Benjamin Franklin wrote multiple speeches to support the ratification of the Constitution. The essays were very influential to the public and gained much support for the constitution. Despite the fight that the Anti- Federalists gave, The Constitution was eventually ratified. In the June of 1788, New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, therefore allowing it to go into effect. Rhode Island became the thirteenth and final state to ratify the Constitution in May of 1790. Under the Constitution, George Washington became the first president and the first Congress passed amendments that protect people from abuse of the federal government and many came out of the struggle with Britain, which have become the Bill of Rights. The Constitution had both supporters...
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...FINAL PROJECT: HISTORICAL TIMELINE AND ESSAY Final Project: Historical Timeline and Essay Jennifer Mullins Axia College of the University of Phoenix Historical Timeline and Essay: The Civil War The first shots were fired on April 12, 1861 from Fort Sumter, South Carolina beginning a four-year battle that would end on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered in Appomattox, Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, ending what became known as the American Civil War (Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, and Stoff, 2006). In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, America went into two different economical directions: the North became industrial the South agricultural. Although it is believed the underlying cause behind the Civil War was due to the abolition of slavery (slaves were considered a major asset in the southern states), the following timeline shows there were many other factors involved as well. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the firing of the first shots at Fort Sumter, America’s journey for equality and unity was a hard one, leaving in its wake destruction, discord, and civil unrest. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ 1776: Declaration of Independence • Was written by Thomas Jefferson • Was signed on July 4th, severing all ties to Britain 1787: Northwest Ordinance • Was passed on July 13th establishing the intent to expand into the West adding...
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...The Confederation and the Constitution | | | | | Shortly after Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the delegates at the Second Continental Congress agreed that a new government was necessary to govern the now-independent colonies. After much debate, they drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777. Although the Articles were not officially ratified until 1781, they served as the actual constitution until that time. Under the authority of the Articles, the states created a national Congress comprised of annually elected delegates from all thirteen states. Each state had one vote in Congress, and, in most cases, decisions were made based on majority rule. The National Congress’ powers over the states were specific and definite: it had the sole power to negotiate treaties, declare war, and make peace. It also reserved the right to maintain an army and navy and regulated interaction with Native Americans in the West. The delegates also granted Congress the power to resolve interstate disputes, grant loans, print money, and operate a national postal system. Eventually, Congress was also authorized to govern western territories until they achieved statehood. All powers not granted to Congress were reserved for state governments. Congress had no power to levy taxes. For example, it could only request that the individual states raise revenue to cover their share of national expenses. Furthermore, any amendments made to the Articles...
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...UNIT 2 Answer Key CHAPTER 5 IV. Section 4: Party Organization A. Structure Federalism, nominating B. Organization at the National Level 1. convention 2. chairperson C. State and Local Organization 1. election, caucuses 2. wards Prereading and Vocabulary 2 1. should cut back on expensive government programs Sample definition: Conservatives believe in cutting costs and government programs. 2. came to vote Sample definition: The electorate is the group of people who are allowed to vote. 3. voted at the polling place, elementary school Sample definition: A precinct is a small area from which all the residents report to vote at one location. 4. wards 5. bipartisan 6. nominate 7. Liberals 8. resign CHAPTER 5 Section 1 Reading Comprehension 3 1. Answers for rankings will vary. Historical basis: The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the U.S., when the ratification of the Constitution gave rise to the first two parties. Tradition: Most Americans accept the idea of a two-party system simply because there has always been one. Electoral system: Since only one winner per office comes out of each election, voters have only two viable choices—the candidate of the party holding office or the candidate with the best chance of replacing the current officeholder. Voters tend to think of a vote for a minor party candidate as a wasted vote. Republicans and Democrats work together in a bipartisan way to write election laws to make...
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...slavery and associated issues that led to the Civil War and its aftermath. Module Titles Module 1—Early American exploration and colonization (SLO1) Module 2—British colonies (SLO2) Module 3—Road to the Revolution and the American Revolution (SLO3) Module 4—Early Republic (SLO4 and SLO5) Module 5—Jacksonian America (SLO 6 and SLO7) Module 6—Road to the Civil War (SLO8) Module 7—Civil War (SLO8) Module 8—Shaping American history: Signature Assignment (all SLOs) Module 1 Early Exploration and Contact with Native Americans Welcome to HIS 120: U.S. History and the Constitution How to be Successful in the Course Each module has a lecture homepage, reading assignments, required videos, and two threaded discussions. You should can find your required reading articles through the internet and TUW library databases to learn more about the subject matter pertinent to the module. Although there are no textbooks, you are provided with links...
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...The campaign for suffrage - a historical background Today, all British citizens over the age of eighteen share a fundamental human right: the right to vote and to have a voice in the democratic process. But this right is only the result of a hard fought battle. The suffrage campaigners of the nineteenth and early twentieth century struggled against opposition from both parliament and the general public to eventually gain the vote for the entire British population in 1928. ------------------------------------------------- Who took part in the campaign? The first women's suffrage bill came before parliament in 1870. Soon after its defeat, in 1897, various local and national suffrage organisations came together under the banner of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) specifically to campaign for the vote for women on the same terms 'it is or may be granted to men'. The NUWSS was constitutional in its approach, preferring to lobby parliament with petitions and hold public meetings. In contrast, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), formed in 1903, took a more militant view. Almost immediately, it characterised its campaign with violent and disruptive actions and events. Together, these two organisations dominated the campaign for women's suffrage and were run by key figures such as the Pankhurstsand Millicent Fawcett. However, there were other organisations prominent in the campaign, including the Women's Freedom League (WFL). These groups were often...
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...Democracy & Constitutionalism in South Asia: The Bangladesh Experience Gowher Rizvi Ash Institute for Democratic Governance & Innovation Kennedy School of Government Harvard University Today democracy is a universal aspiration. Even the military dictatorships and authoritarian communist regimes seek to cloak themselves with democratic trappings and pretensions. To judge by the list of countries those that have held some sort of ‘popular elections’ to validate their regimes, there are very few governments around the world that would not be termed democratic. Under the rules of electoral head counting it would perhaps be impossible not to accord democratic status even to states like Iraq or Pakistan or North Korea. The leaders in all of these countries and numerous others have sought to legitimize their rule through varying degrees of popular ‘mandates’ and ‘endorsements’. Yet very few of these countries would actually be considered democratic if they were subjected to the more rigorous tests of constitutionalism. Popular elections and renewal of popular mandates are essential, but not sufficient, conditions for democracy. At best, a free and fair popular election is one step in the process of a constitutional democratic government. Constitutionalism, like democracy, is a dynamic and complex concept that is constantly evolving. Although there have been changes in emphases and its nuances, the core of constitutionalism has remained constant over time: constitutionalism is about...
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