Liminal
Gold Member
The founding fathers created a Republic because they were afraid of a pure democracy. They feared the destructiveness that a majority might have in seeking equality and in the process taking away property rights from the wealthy. Thus, they created a republic in which the leaders are the representatives of the people.The founding fathers established the Electoral College as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.That's all very interesting, but why even have a popular vote when the electoral vote determines the outcome? I think there's so much focus on the popular vote in Presidential elections because that has the least real meaning, it's mostly symbolic. Voters aren't nearly as interested in Congressional or local elections. People apparently like to vote most when their vote counts least.No.And since the Electoral College decides the Presidential election, the popular vote is meaningless, just a symbolic gesture.
In practice electors are not free to vote as they. Some states have laws that require electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote. In the other states, electors are bound by pledges to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of Electors have voted as pledged. For elector to break their pledge to the party would be political suicide.
U. S. Electoral College Who Are the Electors How Do They Vote
To change to a popular vote would require a constitutional amendment. An amendment would require a 2/3 vote in the House and Senate plus the amendment would have to be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures. If people directly elected the president, candidates would focus their attention on population-rich states like California, New York and Texas rather than smaller states such as New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin. If 13 states refuse to ratify the amendment, it would fail. Since our 13 smallest states constitute only 5% of the US population, the amendment would most likely not be be ratified. So why should we waste the time on an amendment that is very unlike to be ratified?
Yeah I get it, the founding fathers created a republican system of government to protect the rights of the minority. They probably didn't anticipate Americans living under a tyranny of the minority, like we do now.
No nation today is a true democracy. Switzerland probably comes the closest.
Yes, thank you for the civics lesson, I understand all that. I question the need for an electoral college. I also wonder why the selection of electors is not a more democratic process. Surely the method for selecting electors is not specified in the Constitution as well. Perhaps we can know who these people are.