5.2.5 Presidential Republican Democracy


Poster by Xavier Barrade of Paris, as part of the "Create Democracy" Design Competition in England

Republican Democracy

The United States has a different form of democracy than Canada has. The US system is called republican democracy.

Similar to Canada, the United States generally uses the first-past-the-post system to determine which candidate becomes the people's representative. However, unlike Canada, U.S. politics is ominated by only two political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. Although independent candidates may still run for election, they seldom capture significant shares of the vote. This means that, unlike in Canada, winning candidates also typically have the majority of votes cast in their favour; votes are not split among several opposing candidates. Generally, winning candidates in the US represent the majority of all voters.

Choosing the President - the Electoral College

In Canada, the head of state is the leader of the political party with the most seats in the House of Common. Voters in the United States choose their leader through the Electoral College system. Under this system, all voters cast ballots for their choice for president in state presidential elections. The presidential candidate who gets the most votes is said to have won the popular vote. However, these results are not used directly to determine who will win the presidential election. Instead, the popular vote is used to inform a second vote-one by a select group of electors known as the Electoral College.

Each state is assigned a number of electors based on the number of representatives it has in the legislative branch of the federal government. These electors form the Electoral College for the state. These individuals are the people who cast the votes that decide which presidential candidate becomes the president.

Usually the members of the Electoral College do not vote based on their own personal beliefs. Instead, they are expected to cast their votes based on which candidate won the popular vote in the presidential election in their state. Ultimately, members of the Electoral College are expected to exercise the will of the people.

The Electoral College Explained: Is it more reflective of the will of the people than Canada's electoral system?



""Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained"-Christina Greer", TED-Ed, You-tube 

 

 



Problems with the Electoral System

In the 2000 Presidential election, candidate George W. Bush won 271 electoral votes with 47.9% of the popular vote while Al Gore obtained 266 electoral votes but 48.4% of the popular vote. Because he won the most electoral votes, Bush won the election. However, the majority of voters selected Gore.

In this case, was the will of the people reflected in the results?

Read "The United State's Republican Democracy" on pages 341 to 343 of your text Perspectives on Ideology.

As you read, take notes on the following:
  • Which of the two political systems best reflects the principles of liberalism?
  • Which one seems to most accurately reflect the will of the people?

What is the division of power in the U.S. government?