Pro Arguments 1. Direct Vote system is beneficial to the United States as it promotes Democratic principles a. Democracy is a Greek term for “Rule by the People” i. The United States is a Democratic nation, and as such should support the will of the people in electing the president ii. Congressmen, Senators, State Delegates: all are elected by direct vote – let the people directly choose the president as well iii. Let the will of the majority rule in a democratic nation b. A direct vote system ensures equality i. With the electoral college, it is one man, one vote – everyone has the same power in electing the president ii. Minorities get the opportunity to have their votes counted and not suppressed under the electoral college 1. Third-parties and independents are free to run without fear of domination by large party candidates 2. The current electoral process is a failed system a. The electoral college was created for a different country than we are today i. Electoral college was first created by founding fathers facing fears of sectionalism and corruption, in a nation plagued with longdistance travel and lack of instant communication ii. Today, we have messages whisked away to the far corners of the nation in mere milliseconds. We are no longer plagued by illpublicized candidates in today’s media frenzy world – as a Democratic nation, the citizens must be allowed to vote for their next president, not for faceless electoral representatives. iii. An archaic system should be replaced with a more democratic alternate – direct vote must be instated. b. The electoral college presents the chance of a candidate winning a majority of the popular vote but failing to win the electoral college i. Under these circumstances, a majority of the nation’s vote’s are disregarded as the presidency is awarded to the losing candidate – all due to a failed, outdated system 1. 1824 – JQ Adams defeats Crawford despite 38,000 fewer votes 2. 1876 – Hayes upsets Tilden regardless of 254,000 less votes 3. 1888 – Harrison wins election over Cleveland’s 91,000 vote lead 4. 2000 – GW Bush defeats Gore with a 540,000 vote deficit ii. Each time the will of the majority has been ignored by the Electoral College, the masses have risen in protest – isn’t it about time we recognized the need for a true majority rule and installed a direct vote system? c. The Electoral College is open to corruption and misuse by those in power
i. Faithless electors can misrepresent their constituents 1. There have been 158 faithless electors in the history of this nation - a testament to the colossal loophole present in the electoral college 2. This presents a massive option for corruption – electors could band together and choose a president or vicepresident that a vast majority of the nation does not want, radically changing the political landscape ii. The electoral college promotes a two-party system, essentially ostracizing third-parties and independents 1. The winner-take-all system creates a system where a minor candidate can receive massive support but no electoral votes a. 1992 election, Independent Ross Perot had 20 million votes but no electoral votes 2. With the unfavorable odds of a third-party candidate winning, the general populous only supports one of the two major candidates, making it nearly impossible for an outsider to win iii. Voters are misrepresented 1. Electoral votes are divided by state districts, which are subject to gerrymandering by corrupt politicians 2. The ratio of elector to voter representation is greatly skewed – a voter in Wyoming has only 1/4th the electoral power of a voter in Texas (CHART)