Publication Date

4-14-2008

School

Helms School of Government

Major

Government: Pre-Law

Primary Subject Area

Political Science, General

Keywords

Electoral College, President, Elector, election, constitution, federal, federalism

Disciplines

American Politics | Political Science | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

The system of the Electoral College for presidential elections should remain intact and not be replaced by national popular election. Looking back at the discourse during the ratification of the Constitution, the Framers of the Constitution chose to devise the Electoral College to ensure the president would be truly a statesman, not a politician. Additionally, the Framers recognized that the “one person, one vote” system of popular election would not be sufficient to elect the president. Furthermore, since the President is an officer of the states, the Framers created a federal electoral system whereby small states have disproportionate representation in order to ensure that all states have a voice in the election.

Comments

This senior thesis explores the Electoral College system and its benefits. It shows why the Electoral College must be retained.

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