The U.S. presidential election is dizzyingly complicated. In particular, the selection of the Electoral College for presidential elections is extremely complex. Each state is selected differently. The selection of people is also different. Deadlines are also arbitrary. Even when the vote was over, the president was not decided. Some candidates will lose even if they have more support from the people.
So, why are U.S. presidential elections so complicated? Also, why don't Americans change ways?
All of this is attributed to the fact that the United States is a federal state. Especially due to the early state design to maximize the independence of the states that make up the federation. To understand this, one must go back to the early days of the United States.
In 1607, a steamship arrived on the American continent. There were 104 people on board. They were the first immigrants from England. They created the first state in the United States, Virginia.
In 1620, another ship arrived on the eastern coast of the United States. There were 102 migrants on board. These are what Americans now call their ancestors' Pilgrim Fathers. The boat they were on was the famous Mayflower.
In the American continent, where there was nothing, they survived largely thanks to the distribution of food by Indians. This is where Thanksgiving Day comes from. These American ancestors founded Massachusetts.
Then came 1776, about 150 years later. The number of New World immigrants who had grown from a few hundred to about 2.5 million. The number of states has also increased to 13.
They finally declared independence from Britain. Actually, you don't want to be independent in the first place.
The settlers of the New World lived relatively freely. At that time, it exported cigarettes and agricultural products to Britain, the world's largest market, and was economically quite wealthy. Moreover, they themselves consider themselves British.
But as the struggle between France and the Indians over the lands of the Americas prolonged, the situation changed dramatically. To pay for such a huge war cost, Britain imposed high tariffs on exports from the New World. This has led to a steady stream of bankrupt new immigrants.
However, customs duties are taxes levied on the movement of goods between countries and countries. Demanding tariffs meant Britain treated the New World as a foreign rather than a British. At least that's how the newcomers receded it.
Therefore, there is no need to respect the rapid expansion of British ideas among immigrants. The tea incident in the port of Boston, Massachusetts, became a decisive opportunity.
Immigrants from the New World were also British, so they couldn't live without tea. As the price of tea to the New World skyrocketed, angry settlers boarded ships and threw all the tea from England into the sea.
Taking this incident as an opportunity, the War of Independence was about to begin soon after. Then the newcomers started drinking coffee instead of tea. Without Boston, perhaps Starbucks would not have been today.
On a map of the United States, 13 states, from Massachusetts to Georgia, are densely packed along the eastern coast. These are the so-called 'special 13 states' of the United States.
The first 13 states that existed before the founding of the United States, they are the constitution that created the United States today, presidential elections, federalism, etc... Now the real master of America.
At this point, the first thing to understand is the concept of 'state'. The state of the United States is called State in English. So many people mistakenly think that State is a state. But in the United States, State means state. This is also written in the English dictionary. The 'special 13 states' of the United States also consider themselves a nation.
In fact, these 13 states not only have different laws, but also different currencies. After 6 years of war, the United States defeated Britain and achieved substantial independence in 1781.
It is usually said that this is the independence of the United States, but strictly speaking, this is the independence of the 'special 13 countries' alone.
Although joint operations centered on George Washington, during the Revolutionary War, it was not intended to be a nation. But it soon became clear how much danger they were in. Moreover, it is not known when Britain will fight back again.
Moreover, the most powerful countries such as France and Spain are also eyeing the opportunity to attack the continental United States. Unity is also needed in order to maintain independence. So representatives from these 13 states got together for the Continental Congress.
The so-called founding fathers of the United States, such as George Washington, who became the first president, John Adams, and the second president, got together to discuss, but it was not easy to reach an agreement.
Each state has very different ethnic, religious, and economic stakes. First of all, it is necessary to determine the general direction of the country. New World settlers are people who have been frustrated by political, economic, religious, and identity oppression in their home countries and risked their lives to cross the sea. So fear that the central government in the United States will be as strong as Britain and oppress itself. The most important thing for them is personal freedom.
The so-called founding fathers were also people who came to the New World and achieved success, so the stakes coincided. In order not to make the central government too powerful, the unanimous agreement was to implement federalism.
Thanks to the decisions of the time, the states of the United States now have not only independent governments, parliaments, courts, but also their own armed forces. However, it still made them feel uneasy.
Since then, 13 states have simply stated that the federal government cannot interfere with the states except what is constitutionally required.
In addition, many of the settlers in the United States at that time demanded to return to the British Territory. As the emergence of federal states became clear, these Anglophiles would move heavily north, forming what is now Canada.
Although, the federal system agreement is not easy, but it is even harder next.
How to elect the president and parliament who lead the federation, and how to constitute a parliament. Because the population and population composition ratio is different in each state. A populous state wants more seats, and a state with a small population wants the same number of seats as a populous state.
After countless heated arguments, a brilliant plan was finally come up. It was decided to divide Parliament into the upper and lower houses. The House of Representatives decided to accept the opinion of the states with larger populations, composed in proportion to the population. Instead, the Senate, based on the opinion of states with smaller populations, decides on an average of 2 people per state. The population at that time referred to white males. It was a time when women and blacks were not enfranchised.
As a result, southern states such as Georgia, where black slaves made up 40 percent of the population, began protesting. In this way, the populous north will hold the president and parliament every time. It was finally decided to count 1 black slave as 3 out of 5 whites and have a number of seats.
The United States has an indirect electoral system. This is an important factor that makes the American electoral system very complicated today. This is also a matter for the 'special 13 states'.
America's founding fathers did not believe in the wisdom of immigrants. In other words, immigrants do not have the judgment to elect a good president. So I think it's better to elect smart people who choose the president instead of themselves. This is also today's Electoral College.
Others criticize that this is elitism and even aristocracy that is indistinguishable from the British mainland. However, this can also be said to be a limitation brought about by the complete absence of democratic experience. It was not a time when roads and transportation were convenient. The introduction of indirect elections and, in fact, the fact that it is impossible for all residents to participate in voting has also played a role.
In short, the Electoral College system is moving in the direction of reducing the influence of states with large populations and increasing the influence of states with small populations. It was then decided to match the numbers to the Senate and House of Representatives.
Another factor complicating U.S. elections is winner-take-it-all. Simply put, this is a system where one more vote can have the entire Electoral College of the state.
The winner-take-alone system means that the state unites its supported candidates into one person. This approach also benefits states with smaller populations. Because if it's a close match, small states may play the role of deciding the vote. The winner-take-eat system means that a state is a national concept, so just as a country is a president, the presidential candidate supported must also be a person.
In this way, after many twists and turns, the United States of America, in 1789, was established with the participation of all 13 states.
Among them, Delaware was the first to recognize the Constitution of the United States and received the title of the first state.
Because of this peculiarity, not only the founding father of the United States, but also the original 13 states received special treatment.
Look at the American flag, there are 50 stars in the small square in the upper left corner. As we all know, it refers to the 50 states that currently make up the United States. But many people don't know what the red and white stripes symbolize. Counting the red and white stripes is a total of 13 lines. That represents the '13 special states'.
Moreover, answering the names of 13 states is also a question for the US immigration test.
The U.S. electoral system is not only complex, but also deeply flawed. First, there will be too many resignations due to the winner eating system. Moreover, even if the overall percentage of the vote is high, it will happen that you cannot become president.
This complex electoral system is still maintained in the United States. Occasionally, there are calls for changes to the direct election system. However, amending the Constitution in the United States is practically impossible.
The United States is the most difficult country in the world to amend the Constitution. If you want to amend the Constitution, 2/3 of the Senate and House of Representatives must approve it. At the same time, 2/3 of the 50 states must also be in favor. And to complete all these complicated processes in 3 years.
If direct elections were introduced, the influence of states with smaller populations would be drastically reduced. If anyone wants to change the current electoral system, they must be prepared to dissolve the Union.