Dear Editor,
There is an ongoing debate on whether the Electoral College should be abolished and I am expressing my thoughts on this critical issue. The electoral college was established as a compromise between the election of President by Congress and by popular vote. According to Britannica “Electoral College Pros and Cons”, there are benefits to the Electoral College such as: protecting the voices of the minority from being “overwhelmed by the will of the majority”, ensuring that all parts of the country are involved in selecting the president, and giving certainty to presidential elections. However, the disadvantages overshadow the benefits of the Electoral College as they no longer serve the best interests of our modern democracy.
Furthermore, the Electoral College undermines the principle of “one person, one vote” and everybody’s vote counting equally (Britannica). Through this system, a President can be elected without the popular vote, which has occurred in several elections. According to Britannica “Electoral College Pros and Cons”, this should be a representative democracy that is about “political equity” and what the people of the country want, not just the “538 people [who] decide the president”. Additionally, the Electoral College gives too much power to the swing states, allowing the election to be decided by states that are Democratic or Republican, without worrying about popular vote totals. In other words, presidential candidates only focus on the limited number of states that can “swing” either way. This occurred with Hillary Clinton (among many others) where she gained many votes in Texas, a red state. NY Times states that although these “gains helped her win the popular vote nationally”, they didn’t help in the Electoral College because it still voted Republican despite the popular vote being Democratic.
Moreover, the Electoral College unfairly increases the votes of smaller states due to its voter redistribution. Every state gets “three votes to start with before the rest gets distributed by the state’s population”, giving smaller states more influence per voter (YouTube). For example, one vote from Vermont is worth three Texan votes. Lastly, most states use the winner-take-all system, where all electoral votes “are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state”, even if it’s by one vote (NY Times). Instead of candidates winning people, they are winning states.
In conclusion, the Electoral College should be abolished and the President should be elected by direct popular vote. This would ensure that every vote counts and provide a more democratic election process. It would also ensure that the President is elected by a majority of the American people and encourage them to address the issues of Americans.
Sincerely,
Claudia
