reforms to the electoral system 5.4

Question 1

what are the three electoral systems which people have argued would be a good way to substitute it from the current electoral system

Answer 1

• popular vote election
• congressional district system
• proportional systems

Question 2

what are the advantages of a ‘popular vote election’

Answer 2

• 2016 = most recent time when person who won the popular vote didn’t get the presidency
• WASHINGTON POST POLL = 2007, 72% supported a popular vote election with only 23% opposed.

Question 3

what are the disadvantages of a ‘popular vote election’

Answer 3

• multiplicity of candidates
• president would be elected with well below 50% of the vote
• Only a constitutional amendment could bring
  about this particular reform = only 27 done ever

Question 4

what are the advantages of ‘congressional district systems’

Answer 4

• Electoral College votes based on individual district wins and overall state victories, instead of a winner-takes-all approach.

Question 5

what are the advantages of the ‘proportional system’

Answer 5

• more equable allocation of Electoral College votes
• fairer to national third parties

Question 6

what are the disadvantages of the ‘proportional system’

Answer 6

• more time consuming
• susceptible to radical/extremist parties