The US electoral system and its correctness and fairness is an undoubtedly essential and relevant state topic associated withnational implications. In particular, in modern society, the electoral college system is continuously discussed in terms of its modernity and efficiency, while arguments repeatedly arise in favor or against its abolition or reform. From the standpoint of federalism, this system, with all its seeming illogicality, reflects the principles of unification of the states since each of them determines the president from the total number of candidates (Blakemore). However, it is commonly known that a candidate who received five times more electoral votes but fewer from popular constituents than his opponent can assume presidential post. Thus, the US electoral system needs reforms that will consider the voices of all citizens at the national level and provide a better basis for their trust.
At the civil level in each state, the chief election official has supreme authority over elections, ensuring their administration. His power and responsibility are limited to certain aspects of elections, including coding and positioning of ballots, eliminating technical problems, enforcing statewide laws by local officials, and others (Blakemore). At the same time, on the national level, voters in each state choose a list of electors designated by a specific candidate (Blakemore). Thus, by the election day, there are two lists of electors represented by the member of the Republican and the Democratic parties in each state, who subsequently choose the president. However, election results are often not consistent with the number of popular votes. Subject to Pew Research Center poll, 58 percent of the U.S. population claim that they support abolishing the electoral college (Blakemore). Furthermore, according to the National Archives, over two hundred years Congress has received more than 700 proposals to cancel or reform the electoral college system (Blakemore). Such situation puts under doubt the fairness of the current electoral system.
States which do not have a dominant Democratic or Republican electorate play a special role in the results of American elections. As a consequence, in terms of the electoral college system, when such situation occurs, a significant proportion of voters exists in a losing position in advance. For example, Republican votes in New York state are disappearing, and supporters of a given candidate often do not vote without wasting time on elections (Blakemore). Thus, the winner-take-all approach outweighs the preferences of the general public in the country and encourages candidates to campaign in only a few swing, ideologically divided states (Blakemore). At the same time, it is necessary to mention the distorting effects of the process by which excessive electoral power is transferred to a small number of states voting first.
In summary, the USA needs electoral system reform which will provide a better foundation for citizen trust and consider universal voices at the national level. This issue is vital to the American population, as the electoral college system challenges fundamental democratic values. Its abolishment will require laborious action on the part of representatives on both state and national levels of government in relation to amending the Constitution. It is sufficiently a burdensome process, since out of the proposed 11770 amendments during the existence of the Constitution, 27 were adopted (Blakemore). However, promoting a strong and fair democracy outweighs the challenges.
Work Cited
Blakemore, Erin. “Here’s Why the Electoral College Exists — and How It Could Be Reformed.” National Geographic Society, 2020, Web.