The electoral college needs to be abolished as it doesn’t accurately or proportionately represent the citizens of America’s opinions. The founding principle of America is based upon representation of the public, though usually used in reference to taxation, it is not inappropriate to declare this argument should be considered in voting, too. By electing an unwanted leader, the nation only falls further and further backwards, discrediting our credibility as a “free” nation. Additionally, it’s not an unprecedented argument to complain about the complications that might arise if the country were to change their ways, however there is no solution that can’t be made to solve this in the future. On the other hand, the electoral college has had 200 years to fix their mistakes, and elections such as the recent 2016 one, only further our embarrassment.
Firstly, the electoral college doesn’t decide the president based on who more of the country wants in office, but rather a system that has failed public opinion numerous times over since the very birth of the nation, and continues to do so. The distribution of electoral votes unnecessarily raises the importance of bigger states, while ignoring the other states that make as much contribution to America as a whole. No amount of votes can precisely represent how much each state gives to the whole. Additionally, It gives the votes made in smaller states, more importance to the overall decision that decides if a state goes red or blue. Almost as if some citizens matter more than the rest, who may also be greater helps to society and the economy.
The electoral college also contributes to the never ending cycle of third party failure. Because it is most difficult for a third party to win majority votes in any state, they usually fail to gain any substantial amount of votes. It ruins the idea of Americans voting for third parties in order to customize their vote to their specific beliefs and concerns, if they’re vote gets them nowhere. Building off of that, if the popular vote was used, people would probably begin to vote more, as they would feel more like it matters and they’re voices are being heard than those who feel discouraged living in a strong red or blue state.
In conclusion, the downsides of voting under the electoral college, further outweigh any possible upsides from it.
