The Electoral College has been a part of our political system since its creation, outdating the direct elections of senators, women’s right to vote, and the abolition of slavery. Each state has a certain amount of electoral votes which is supposed to correspond with the population of that state and the way the majority of voters of that state dictate who the electoral votes go to. However, because there is a minimum of 3 electoral votes per state (1 for the population and 2 for each senator) and 538 in total (the last time this changed in 1961 with the 23rd amendment, despite the country’s population nearly doubling) the electoral college and the population do not always align. Certain states, namely smaller states such as Wyoming, have votes that count [much more than larger states]. This has caused a candidate to win the popular vote while their opponent took the electoral college and the president’s seat in five separate cases. This can’t persist in our country.
What should America do to ensure everyone’s vote counts?
As a country we should move past the electoral college.
Abolishing the electoral college guarantees that the majority of America’s choice will be put in office. Right now, elections are most important in swing states that could be the “tipping point” for the electoral college-most other states are ignored. If the popular vote chose the president then every part of the country would matter because the candidates need to get votes from everyone.
An argument that many use to keep the electoral college is its supposed power to protect the voices of the minority from the majority, but what minority exactly? During the time that the electoral college was created the minority population in southern states were slave owners and the electoral votes of those states included 3/5th of the slave population. The electoral college has racism embedded into it and continues to suppress the voices of voters of color in the south.
Every voice must count in this democracy. Therefore, the electoral college must be abolished.
