Today America.gov hosted a webchat about the Electoral College, the system the United States uses to select its president and vice president. We received many great questions – too many to answer!
One, from a participant in Abidjan, asked, “What are the benefits to have an Electoral College?”
The Electoral College has always had its supporters and its critics. Those who favor the Electoral College argue it provides an incentive to campaign across the country, providing attention to smaller populations. They say the Electoral College forces candidates to reach out beyond the large population centers and campaign in places that would be ignored in a direct election system.
Opponents say the Electoral College allows a candidate who receives the most votes nationwide to lose the presidency because he does not receive the most Electoral College votes. This has happened three times in U.S. history, most recently in the 2000 presidential contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
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2008 U.S. elections
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NIKHIL PANDYA
26 September 2008 at 22:06 EDT
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No matter what it seems it is destiny that Mr.Mccain becomes President and that wolrld order will be much more quiet peaceful and progressive.I see Mr.Mccain gaining upperhand on most of the issues the Americans are concerned about today and that he would address them with his staunch support for human values to proliferate.