Strengths and Weaknesses of the Us Electoral System
Introduction to Political Analysis
Question: Using illustrations from attempts at voter suppression and the challenges to these attempts, examine the strengths and weaknesses of the electoral system in the United States.
Name: Winston Walker
Course Code: GOVT 1000
ID #: 607005957
No electoral system is perfect, but the strengths and weakness of the electoral system is based on the system of government used. The two most common systems of government are the Federal system and the Unitary system.
According to dictionary.com, the term electoral system refers to, the legal system for making democratic choices. The United States of America operate under a federal system of government, which by definition, refers to a government in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. The electoral system of the United States is set up in this manner, you vote for a mayor, senator, a member of the House of Representatives, you vote directly for that person. However, when you vote for president, you are really voting for an elector who has pledged to represent that candidate. The electors chosen by each state are called the Electoral College. This consists of 538 members, comprising 100 senators, 435 congressmen, and 3 members from the District of Columbia. States with large populations, like California have over 50 electoral votes, while sparsely populated states like Alaska has only 3 electoral votes. This system of government makes the electoral system highly susceptible to voter suppression.
Voter Suppression is the strategy to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing people from exercising their right to vote. It is distinguished from political campaigning because, it attempts to reduce the number of voters who might vote against the candidate or the proposition advocated by the suppressors, while political campaigning attempts to change the possible voting behavior by
Question: Using illustrations from attempts at voter suppression and the challenges to these attempts, examine the strengths and weaknesses of the electoral system in the United States.
Name: Winston Walker
Course Code: GOVT 1000
ID #: 607005957
No electoral system is perfect, but the strengths and weakness of the electoral system is based on the system of government used. The two most common systems of government are the Federal system and the Unitary system.
According to dictionary.com, the term electoral system refers to, the legal system for making democratic choices. The United States of America operate under a federal system of government, which by definition, refers to a government in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. The electoral system of the United States is set up in this manner, you vote for a mayor, senator, a member of the House of Representatives, you vote directly for that person. However, when you vote for president, you are really voting for an elector who has pledged to represent that candidate. The electors chosen by each state are called the Electoral College. This consists of 538 members, comprising 100 senators, 435 congressmen, and 3 members from the District of Columbia. States with large populations, like California have over 50 electoral votes, while sparsely populated states like Alaska has only 3 electoral votes. This system of government makes the electoral system highly susceptible to voter suppression.
Voter Suppression is the strategy to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing people from exercising their right to vote. It is distinguished from political campaigning because, it attempts to reduce the number of voters who might vote against the candidate or the proposition advocated by the suppressors, while political campaigning attempts to change the possible voting behavior by
Bibliography: Online Newspaper Article Campbell, Ryan (September 04, 2012). Voter Suppression Series Part II: Florida. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-campbell/voter-suppression-in-florida_b_1840793.html Caldwell, Patrick (December 27, 2011). “Voting Wrongs.” What will the DOJ’s rejection of South Carolina’s voter identification mean? Retrieved from http://prospect.org/article/voting-wrongshttp://prospect.org/article/voting-wrongs Online Documents United States Department of Justice. History of Federal Voting Rights Laws-The Voting Rights Act of 1965. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php