Abolish the electoral College
Twice in the last two decades the candidate that won the popular vote did not win the presidency. Considering this flaw in the system, the Electoral College should be abolished.
The Electoral College is now considered flawed because of the changes our country has gone through over the last 200+ years. When the Constitution was first created, the Founding Fathers could not trust the general public to elect the president, as the Fathers felt the average person was uneducated. The Electoral College was created to prevent an "unfit" person from being elected president. However, today American adults are more educated than ever and should be able to choose a president on their own, showing that the Electoral College's original purpose is now obsolete.
Recently, Hillary Clinton has called for the abolition of the Electoral College. As she explained to Anderson Cooper in 2017, “I think it needs to be eliminated.” You may think Clinton is biased considering she was a victim of the Electoral College's flaws, but she first called for direct election of the president after being elected as a Senator in 2000. On her victory tour in New York, Clinton advocated for direct election of the President in the form of a constitutional amendment.
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President Donald Trump has also expressed his displeasure with the Electoral College. After the 2012 election, Trump said in a tweet: “The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.” In 2018, Trump said in an interview on Fox & Friends that he would support a national popular vote in place of the Electoral College because elections would be "much easier to win."
Many are inclined to agree with Trump’s statement after the election that put him in office. The Electoral College has put someone in the highest office of the land that not even a plurality of the nation wanted. Three million more people wanted Hillary Clinton in office and that doesn’t include those that didn’t vote.
Some politicians have begun to take action to abolish the Electoral College. Barbara Boxer, a former Senator from California, introduced a bill during her last months in office that would create a constitutional amendment to elect the president by nationwide popular vote. Her state in particular was effected by the disparities of the Electoral College, as their 3 million extra votes in favor of Clinton did nothing to help her chances of winning.
The Electoral College has made it so that some votes, like the 3 million extra Californian votes, don’t matter, which may be why so many people in this country don’t exercise their right to vote. Because of the winner-takes-all system, “safe” states, in which one party always wins, are home to voters of the other party whose vote will not at all effect the outcome of the election. This phenomenon makes citizens disinterested in voting, as they feel voting will not make a difference.
Many are inclined to agree with Trump’s statement after the election that put him in office. The Electoral College has put someone in the highest office of the land that not even a plurality of the nation wanted. Three million more people wanted Hillary Clinton in office and that doesn’t include those that didn’t vote.
Some politicians have begun to take action to abolish the Electoral College. Barbara Boxer, a former Senator from California, introduced a bill during her last months in office that would create a constitutional amendment to elect the president by nationwide popular vote. Her state in particular was effected by the disparities of the Electoral College, as their 3 million extra votes in favor of Clinton did nothing to help her chances of winning.
The Electoral College has made it so that some votes, like the 3 million extra Californian votes, don’t matter, which may be why so many people in this country don’t exercise their right to vote. Because of the winner-takes-all system, “safe” states, in which one party always wins, are home to voters of the other party whose vote will not at all effect the outcome of the election. This phenomenon makes citizens disinterested in voting, as they feel voting will not make a difference.
For example: in Maryland (where the author lives), we are overwhelmingly Democratic. So a person that voted for the Republican candidate in this state might feel like their vote didn't matter because it will not effect which candidate receives our electoral votes. Maryland will always, at least based on its past voting history, vote for a Democrat for president. |
This disinterest in voting even effects state elections where the Electoral College does not apply. Larry Hogan, Maryland's current governor, won a surprise victory in 2014. Senator Chris Van Hollen, then a Congressman for Maryland's 8th District, said that Democrats "took the race for granted" and were certain that Democratic candidate Anthony Brown would win, even though he was considered a weak candidate. Instead, Larry Hogan, a Republican, won the election.
The Electoral College creates apathy among voters, and in one study, found to contribute to a decrease in voter turnout, which is why it should be abolished. If eligible voters feel like their votes won't count, they may not bother showing up to the polls.
The Electoral College creates apathy among voters, and in one study, found to contribute to a decrease in voter turnout, which is why it should be abolished. If eligible voters feel like their votes won't count, they may not bother showing up to the polls.