The 2016 election highlighted a significant flaw in our electoral system. Hillary Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, yet Trump won the presidency due to the Electoral College. This has led many Americans to question the fairness of our electoral process.
The Electoral College was established to balance the influence of heavily populated states with less populated ones. However, in reality, this system tends to amplify the voices of smaller states and downplay the significance of votes cast in larger states. As a result, candidates often concentrate their campaigns on a small number of swing states, disregarding the broader electorate.
Getting rid of the Electoral College would ensure that every vote carries the same weight. This would prompt candidates to engage with a broader range of voters across the entire nation. It would also alleviate the sense of powerlessness felt by voters residing in states with strong political leanings, where their votes often seem inconsequential.
While changing the system would be challenging, it is a necessary discussion for the well-being of our democracy. It would establish a system that more accurately represents our democratic principles.
One proposed alternative is a national popular vote, in which the candidate with the most votes nationwide wins the presidency. This method would reflect the true will of the people and encourage candidates to campaign in all states, not just a select few. Another option is a proportional allocation of electoral votes, which better represents the diverse political views within each state.
Both options would most likely increase the chances of Democratic presidents being elected because the last popular vote won by a Republican was in 2004. For this reason, as well as hard constitutionalist principles from Republicans, we probably won’t see any support for this new election system from any Republicans. The alternate election systems offer fairer and more straightforward alternatives to what is currently in place, where all votes are counted equally. However, it remains up for debate whether we will see any change any time soon or not.
