The Electoral College is a system for electing the president and vice president. Each state gets a certain number of electors or voters based on their population size to represent their views. All states are required to get a minimum of three electors. This was made as a compromise by the Founding Fathers so small states get equal or similar representation to larger states. This was made to ensure that everyone’s opinion is heard during the election process. Some people believe the Electoral College should be abolished and replaced with another plan, such as the national popular vote. This brings up the question of whether or not it should be a system used. I think that the Electoral College should be abolished for a number of reasons. The Electoral College has failed numerous times when the electoral vote was different from the popular, which has happened in 2000 and 2016. This leads voters to feel that the electoral system does not represent their opinion. As well, some people’s votes count more than others depending on which state they live in. For example, someone in California’s vote can count more than someone in Rhode Island. This isn’t fair that people who live in smaller states have less of a voice with their vote, leading to the vote not being inclusive to smaller states. To add, candidates mainly visit swing states from this system. Swing states are states where both major political parties have similar levels of support among voters. Winning these state votes can be crucial for securing enough electoral votes to win. This takes away the purpose to visit and see other states. Lastly, the electoral college takes away votes from third parties. It leans more towards a two party system which does not include third parties. This takes us back to the topic of people not feeling their vote is fully represented through being in another party outside the main two. The Electoral College should be abolished because of the inclusion of everyone having an equal vote, the failed numerous times, and the say it takes from third parties.
