Does the popular vote matter at all in presidential elections? If so, why does the electoral college have the right to elect the president?
Good questions!
The original intent of the Electoral College was to prevent an unwise popular vote choice. The founding fathers wanted to make sure that the people, in their ignorance, didn't elect an unsuitable president. However, over the years, this intent has been pushed aside in favor of letting states with small populations have a larger voice in electing the president.
You may want to research the Electoral College on Google.
I researched this and found petitions to 'ban' the electoral college. Does this seem realistic now that people are (mostly) less ignorant and more educated.
The Republicans, I believe, want to keep the Electoral College as a way of giving more weight to the Republican rural areas of the country.
Yes, the popular vote does matter in presidential elections, but the system in the United States uses the Electoral College to ultimately select the President. The Electoral College is a mechanism outlined in the U.S. Constitution, and its purpose is to balance the influence of both populous and less populous states in the election process.
Here's how it works:
1. Each state is assigned a certain number of electors, which is determined by its representation in Congress. The number is based on the total number of representatives a state has in the House of Representatives plus its two Senators.
2. When voters in each state cast their ballots for President, they are actually voting for a slate of electors pledged to support a particular candidate. In almost all states, the winner of the popular vote receives all of that state's electoral votes.
3. The electors, typically party loyalists, then formally cast their votes for President based on the outcome of the popular vote in their respective states. These votes happen separately in each state and the District of Columbia.
4. In December, the electors' votes are officially counted by Congress. The candidate who receives a majority (at least 270 out of 538) of these electoral votes is declared the winner.
The Electoral College system was established by the framers of the Constitution as a compromise between having the President elected directly by the people and having the selection solely in the hands of Congress. It was designed to balance the interests of smaller states against those of more populous states, giving each state a voice in the election process.
Critics argue that the Electoral College can result in situations where the candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide may not win the presidency. This has happened in a few instances throughout history due to the distribution of electoral votes across states. However, the system remains in place because it requires candidates to build broad coalitions of support across different regions of the country.
In summary, the popular vote in each state determines the selection of electors, and it is the electors who ultimately elect the President through the Electoral College system. While the popular vote is important, it is the Electoral College that carries the final decision-making power in the U.S. presidential elections.