Florida Senator:

After reading a few articles explaining the Electoral College system and reading arguements for and against it, I have decided the system is not worth keeping in place. The system does not take every voter into account, and our electors are not always reliable. Also, this system of voting can discourage citizens in non-swing states from voting, which may be it's greatest crime. The Electoral College is worn out and ready for retirement.

The Electoral College, although seemingly based on the people's votes, is really dependent on whoever the chosen electors want as president. It does not seem very fair for voters to spend months listening to drawn out debates, campaign commercials, and becoming educated on the candidates, just to have their vote essentially thrown away if they did not vote for the majority. No, they do not even get to see their vote in action. It is simply erased and given to a slate of electors who stand for the majority of the state, even if the majority is only 50.1%. To the new generation of voters who really want to make a difference in the government, the idea that unless we pick the 'right' candidate for our state, our votes really do not matter is absurd.

In the electoral college system, even the majority voters in each state can not count on having reliable electors, according to Bradford Plumer, the author of an anti-Electoral College-article. Electors can be anyone who does not hold a public office, and these people can be swayed or unloyal to their own party as well (Plumer). These are the people our votes are really going towards, not the actual president as many uneducated could be led to believe. Although the trust of these people is rarely misplaced (Richard A. Posner, In Defense of the Electoral College: Five Reasons to keep our present method of choosing the President), there is always a possibility of the electors being swayed at the last minute, which is a bit of a scary thought. Imagine if segregationists in the Loisiana legislature had succeeded in replacing Democratic electors with ones who would oppose John F. Kennedy, one of or best presidents (Plumer).

The final reason keeping the Electoral College system in place is a bad idea is that if you are a voter in a clearly defined state, that is, non-swing, you are more likley to decide not to vote at all. When candidates can clearly define states in which they know they will win, or have no hope of winning, they don't bother spending time there to educate voters. Voters in these states do not get all the information they might want in order to make an educated decision. This would lead to a biased, uneducated state in which voters don't care to vote because of a mindset that almost everyone in the state is of a certain political mindset and their vote is just another piece of paper that will not matter. These voters could also make rash decisions because they did not get to truly hear all of the campaignes. In swing states where there is not a clearly defined political opinion, voters will be bombarded with information, and although they may be educated and well versed in their opinions, the votes, no matter how close, will not really matter because of the nature of the Electoral College system.

In closing, the Electoral College system is not worth saving. Although some may argue it gives a certainity of outcome or restores the balance to heavily populated states (Posner), it does not give everyone's vote a fair chance. Nor does it guarantee the electors will be reliable. The Electoral College system even dissuades voters from excercising their Constitutional right to vote. Please take this into consideration, Mr. Senator, next time the Electoral College comes into question. Thank you for recieveing my most humble opinion.

Sincerely,

PROPER_NAME

9th Grade Student