The recent Presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush has sparked a controversial flame among American citizens. Should we keep the Electoral College, or is it time to get rid of it and go by the Nation's Popular Vote? The Electoral College worked when it was first created, but problems have been coming up and deciding the President would be more efficient, and less problem-laden if Americans awarded the Presidency to the winner of the popular vote. America, as a county, has grown and evolved, and our voting systems should follow suit.

The Electoral College didn't just spring up all of a sudden. Many versions were tried and rejected. The first design appointed two senators from each state. In order to avoid voting for their 'favorite son' the senators had to choose two candidates that did not represent their home state. The candidate with most votes became President, and the runner-up became Vice President. This design only lasted for four elections. The second design differed only slightly. Instead of casting two votes for president, electors cast one for President, and one for Vice President. The leaders in each of the categories were elected.

Deciding the presidency by popular vote alone could stir up trouble if the polls are close. Jeff Greenfield also points out that America could face a national recount if the election was considerably close (66). A national recount could be more time consuming than the Electoral College ever was, especially if the recount was recommended to be redone by hand. Recounting in Dade County, Florida seems like a hassle, but the thought of recounting and entire countries vote is mind boggling.

Wildavsky, Ben. "School of Hard Knocks. The Electoral College: An anachronism or protector of small states?" U.S. News & World Report 20 Nov. 2000: 52

Many people agree that the Electoral College is outdated and that a new voting system is needed. George C. Edwards, director of Presidential Studies at Texas A&M, supports the idea of an election based on popular vote. In the article, "School of Hard Knocks" Edwards is quoted saying, "There's no justification for the Electoral College" (52). He backs this up by mentioning how much time is spent enforcing the one person, one vote principle. The With the Electoral College voters are not equally represented. Richard Dunham explains why the voters are not fairly represented by giving an example:

The popular vote is the total number of votes that a Presidential Candidate gets from every voting American citizen. The popular vote also encourages the electors of the Electoral College on how to cast their vote for the President, even though the elector does not have to vote according to the state's majority. The popular vote does not decide the election, the 538 members of the Electoral College decide.

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Approximate Word count = 1527
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)