Con Arguments

“Resolved: That the President and Vice-President of the United States should be elected 
by a direct vote of the American citizens.”

1.	A direct vote system harms America
a.	Direct Vote harms small states and less populous regions
i.	States with a low population total will receive virtually no attention 
from the candidates because their votes do not constitute a large 
enough percentage to matter
ii.	The founding fathers originally pondered the manor of direct 
voting in electing the president, and decided it was unfavorable 
due to the aforementioned populous-centered conflict
b.	Third-parties and independents are underrepresented in a direct vote 
system
i.	Third-parties and political action committees do not have a large 
enough voting base to constitute a majority and therefore have no 
chance at winning or even influencing a direct vote election
ii.	Minorities will be unable to gain attention to their cause due to 
their small numbers and inability to crowd the polls
c.	A direct vote system threatens the stability of the nation
i.	Without a stabilizing system such as the Electoral College, there 
will be dozens of candidates running for the presidency
1.	It would be nearly impossible for a single candidate to gain 
a simple majority of the popular vote, leading to either a 
president that only a minority of the nation elected or 
requiring the use of inefficient and unstable runoff elections
2.	Direct vote elections in countries such as Russia and France 
have caused chaos in the streets due to the inefficient 
manner in which the president is chosen
2.	The current system provides a safe and reliable electoral process
a.	The Electoral College is a dependable system that has withstood the test of 
time
i.	Has survived 218 years and 53 elections
ii.	Elected 42 presidents without a single rebellion or coup de tat
iii.	Consistently solved every major electoral crisis in an efficient and 
timely manner
iv.	The electoral college was crafted by the constitutional framers as 
an electoral process that combined the best of all available options
v.	What has stood more than two centuries is a marvel of democratic 
political philosophy, an institution which ensures the rights and 
concerns of the citizens in electing the Commander in Chief of the 
United States of America
b.	The Electoral College ensures the popular and geographic will of the 
people
i.	In a bulk of the elections in US history, the electoral college has 
confirmed the popular will of the people in electing the President
ii.	However, there have been instances where the popular vote has 
been extremely close, in which the Electoral College has decided 
the winner based on geographical importance
1.	1888 – Harrison vs. Cleveland, Cleveland wins popular 
vote but Harrison wins election because he received a 
geographic majority of the nation – Cleveland only won 
key southern states whereas Harrison won more states that 
were spread across the nation
2.	2000 – Bush vs. Gore, Gore wins popular vote by Bush 
wins election because he received a geographic majority of 
the nation – Gore only won north-eastern states and 
California, whereas Bush won a geographic majority of the 
nation
iii.	The Electoral College is simply a protected popular vote – 93% of 
presidential elections have been decided by the people. It is only in 
rare circumstances in which the Electoral College has decided the 
election, ensuring that the unity of the nation is preserved
c.	Minorities and third-parties are better represented under the electoral 
college
i.	Easier to influence a state and swing the electoral bloc from one 
candidate to the other
1.	1948 – Strom Thurmond as a Dixiecrat, influenced election 
by threatening outcome
ii.	As a third-party shows its strength in swaying the election, the 
major parties are more likely to incorporate the tenets of the 
minority candidate
1.	This can be directly seen with Ross Perot and his bids for 
presidency in 1992 and 1996 – his major push for the end 
of government corruption was quickly adopted by both 
parties after his highly popular electoral run
iii.	Minorities can do much the same by rallying for one candidate or 
another under the banner of specific issues, essentially forcing the 
candidates to recognize their strength and importance in order to 
win the election
iv.	Under a direct vote system, minorities and third-parties would lose 
the important role they play today and be deemed unnecessary 
fractural voters
d.	The Electoral College ensures the stability of the nation
i.	The Electoral College supports the current two-party system, 
providing an all-inclusive yet small slate of candidates
1.	With a smaller number of candidates, the probability of a 
majority president increases exponentially
ii.	The Electoral College outlines an efficient electoral process, in 
which the nation is stable throughout the election
1.	With numerous contingency plans, such as congressional 
voting and the 12th amendment, the Electoral College 
safeguards America from chaos in the possibility of 
excruciatingly close election 
2.	Under a Direct Vote, the unreliable runoffs and calls for 
recounts in every precinct would no doubt lead to 
confusion and a continued challenge of the election

The onus is on our opponents to prove that the current system is so corrupt an 
unmanageable that a constitutional revision is needed to replace it – but the fact of the 
matter is that they have failed to prove why we should take the risk of replacing a stable 
system with the untested and unsteady direct vote.

(Ian Gibson)