Electoral College, Essay Example

This research paper will explain the primary election system including the Electoral College, how it is funded and the different primaries that exist. Further it will explain why the United States has such a low turnout of voters at primary elections as compared to other voting countries and what the United States can do to improve the voter turnout at such elections.

Article II of the United States Constitution and amended by the Twelfth Amendment in 1804 established the Electoral College which instructs the electors in each state to cast their votes for the same candidate that wins the majority vote that wins the popular vote cast by the people at the polls. An example is: If a person votes for the Democratic candidate Obama, he/she is really voting for the electors of his/her state to cast their vote for Obama. As each state receives a number of electoral votes equal to the number of members in the U.S. House and one for its two U.S. Senators it is safe to say a state with a larger population receives more electoral votes. That is why candidates often campaign in the larger states hoping to receive their electoral votes. A candidate must receive at least 270 votes to be elected. We rarely see a candidate that receives the popular vote not win an election, but it does happen if some states do not cast their votes. For example in the 2000 Presidential election President Gore won the popular vote but only received 266 electoral votes which was not enough to win the election. The primary elections are used in each state of America to choose the Republican and Democratic candidate for President.

Elections are funded by various businesses and private funding which are oversaw by The Federal Elections Committee and The Federal Election Campaign Act to enforce legal provisions and prohibit illegal contributions to campaign funds. The federal government further promotes voter turnout through the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Motor Voter Act which made it easier for a person to renew their voter registration or a new voter to register when they applied for their driver’s license or made application for social service benefits. Research found that focusing on calling the head of household actually increased voter turnout by 9% in various previous primary elections. Providing transportation to the polls has shown to increase voter turnout by a rate of 12% in past elections. This is called voter mobilization and is very effective.