Stati Uniti: le proposte di riforma dell’Electoral College

Abstract

United States: the proposals to reform the Electoral College – This paper provides an overview of the efforts from 1800 to 2021 to abolish or significantly reform the United States Electoral College. This institution permits the election of the
President and the Vice-president of United States through a complex mechanism that has always been the subject of much criticism. Indeed, to win the election, a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes, but the system permits also at the loser of the popular vote to become President. Past proposals for change the system by constitutional amendment have included various reform options and direct popular election: The Congress has attempted on many occasions to reform or abolish the Electoral College, but without success. The reasons for these continued failures are many, but the main ones are the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the political polarization.