Rachel Nelson
Professor Lovecraft
PS F301
September 27, 2022

Debate 1

In the question of whether America’s president should be elected directly by the people (purely popular vote) or by the electoral college, Byron E. Shafer is correct in his vehement stance that the electoral college is a necessary institution of American democracy.

Shafer is correct for many reasons, some of which he discusses such as the polarization of contemporary politics and the need to have the popular vote filtered through the electoral college as a means to funnel it toward an “ideological middle” and how a true popular vote would a.) not actually reflect the desired outcome of the country, and b.) because a true popular vote would actually exacerbate party domination, not alleviate it.

Some other reasons to be in favor of the electoral college not unpacked by Shafer are that the electoral college can act like a sort of gatekeeper, ensuring that a charismatic demagogue who is a threat to democracy is less likely to be elected president, and that the individuals actually casting the vote in the presidential election are educated and invested in the current scene of politics in the nation and hopefully internationally.

In this current political climate in America there is extreme ideological polarization, creating extreme and narrowly-thought views on political issues on either side of the political spectrum. In order to find a more temperate, milder middle ground, filtering the popular vote through the electoral college ensures swing states are able to act as an “antipolarizer.”

The popular vote would also not actually elect the “most popular” presidential candidate as intended. With votes split between candidates, it is probable that someone running for president who garnered only a third of the nation’s vote or even less might be elected president where currently with the electoral college there is more likelihood of near half the country supporting the candidate that is ultimately elected.