Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
RobertPodolnjak
TheConstuon,theElectoralCollege,
andtheAmericanConceptofDemocracy
aViewfromEurope
Introducon
TeElectoralCollegeisundoubtedlythemostuniqueand,atthesametime,
oneofthemostcriticizedandcontroversialofallAmericanpoliticalinstitu-
tions.Aferthepresidentialelectionof2000andtheinitiationoftheNational
PopularVoteInterstateCompactin2006,theElectoralCollegeisagaininthe
centreofpoliticalandscholarlyattentionintheUnitedStatesandabroad.
InmorethantwohundredyearsofitshistorytheElectoralCollegehas
broughttheU.S.tothebrinkofaconstitutionalcrisisorevenbreakdown
onmorethanoneoccasion.Teconstitutionalcrisisaferthe2000election
showedinadrasticwaythateventheoldestconstitutionaldemocracyinthe
world,withdevelopedconstitutionalcultureanddedicatedtotheruleoflaw,
couldcometoaconstitutionallyverydangeroussituation,whentheactsand
decisionsofcertainactorscouldbeconsideredundemocratic,illegitimate,
andsubversivetotheconstitutionalorder,orevenlabeledasaCconstitutional
coup)(Ackerman2001:3).
OfthemanyoriginalmotivesoftheFoundersfortheCinvention)ofthe
ElectoralCollegeasanalternativetothedirectelectionofthepresident,there
ishardlyonethatisstillrelevanttoday.Teforemostamongthemwere:
thelackofnationwidecommunicationwhichwouldmakepossibleapres-
identialcampaigninallstates,
greatdińerencesinthesuńrageinseveralstates,especiallythewidersuf-
frageinthenorthernstatesinrelationtothesouthernstates(slaveshad
nosuńrage),
theconvictionoftheFramers(oratleastasignificantpartofthem)that
inthenearfuturetherewouldbenocandidatesofnationalprominence,
whowouldbeknowntothevotersacrosstheUnitedStates,