This film clearly explains the electoral college and gives the history behind it. The how and why it was instituted, and why it is still important today.
I thought the World Series analogy was a perfect explanation of the Electoral College. Team A could get more runs than team B through the 9 games simply by drastically outscoring team B in 3 games. Team B, however, wins the series because they won 5 of the 9 games even though the scores were close in those 5 games.
This is how a President is elected, 50 individual "games" called elections, with the candidate who gets the majority of the popular votes in each state winning that "game". (With the exception of 2 states who split the EC votes). Those who win the most games (states) wins the Presidency.
There are still some things for me to think about. For instance, the election of 1860. Lincoln did win with 39% of the popular vote, and he did have more votes than any other single candidate. The EC did work as "expected" and Lincoln got the most EC votes, thus the Presidency. However the point that the film was trying to make is that there was a 61% vote AGAINST Lincoln and that without the EC it is quite possible that a candidate winning with far less than 50% of the vote would be common instead of an outlier. That a candidate could target the 5 to 10 largest cities and get more votes than any other candidate (even in the teens to 20% of votes cast) and win the election. We see how well Lincolns win in 1860 turned out, states leaving the union (or trying to) and a civil war.
Safeguard: An Electoral College Story
2020
Action / Documentary
Safeguard: An Electoral College Story
2020
Action / Documentary
5.5Plot summary
"What if something you changed caused unintended consequences you never imagined?" Safeguard: An Electoral College Story asks that question about presidential elections. How does the system really work? And what would happen if we changed the rules? Alexander Hamilton and James Madison worked to create and defend the Electoral College system in the U.S. Constitution. The process is democratic-but it works in stages, and through the states. This design forces candidates to reach out across the country rather than focusing on just one region or group of population centers. And it keeps presidents from controlling elections-including their own reelections. Publisher and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, Princeton historian Allen Guelzo, and a host of experts explain why we really have the Electoral College, what it does, and what could happen if we got rid of it. The New York Times warned in 1977, "the political habits, traditions and expectations that have grown up around the Electoral College have served the nation well. If they are to be maintained, the College has to be preserved rather than lightly abandoned in favor of a vacuum." Is any of that still true today? Safeguard: An Electoral College Story avoids the partisan bickering to ask the big questions. Is democracy just "two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for dinner," like some people say? Or can a democratic system be designed to protect minority rights? Does our Constitution strike the right balance? "The Constitution - must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard for our liberties." -Abraham Lincoln.
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A must watch for every high school student for all 4 years
More fair and balanced than some reviews say..and I'm not a Conservative!
There was a lot of historical foundation to this documentary and a good explanation as to how the Electoral College is supposed to work. That's what I was looking for, and that's what I got. I was previously registered as a Democrat and now I register as Independent. I can say that even though this was influenced by the Heritage Foundation, it would be nitpicking to say they pooped on all the Democratic side of things. They clearly showed Obama's wins and positive message, and Howard Dean's influences on the all state party movement and not his weird yell. If anything, this should motivate people to not only vote but get their out of state friends to vote.
Historical Educational Convincing
I am disapointed, but not surprised by the poor reviews of this documentary by neophytes that still believe America was founded on flawed beliefs and systems that are outdated and unfair. The movie lays out clearly the intellectual compromise that created the "United States" and why the Electoral College is still relevant and necessary. Of course if you dont give a damn about your state's vote, or more likely dont care about the concerns of the electorate in Wyoming or Nebraska, then throw it away and allow LA, Chicago, Houston and NYC, choose presidents. The picture makes the arguments on both sides but clearly shows the popular vote option is the least "fair" and most divisive.