Should We Abolish the Electoral College?
As the United States heads into a presidential election, the question of who will cast the decisive votes looms in the air. At the heart of this debate lies the Electoral College, a system that has long been criticized. Is it still the right way to choose a president, or has its time passed? Many Americans believe it’s time for change.
The Electoral College is a process, not a place, outlined in the U.S. Constitution as the method for selecting the president and vice president. Instead of a direct popular vote determining the winner, the Electoral College allocates a set number of votes to each state based on its representation in Congress. Each state has as many electors as it has senators and representatives, making the minimum number of electors per state three. In total, there are 538 electors, with a candidate needing a majority of 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. In practice, this means that when we vote in a presidential election, we’re really voting for electors who will then cast their ballots based on the outcome in our state. Yet, those electoral votes aren’t necessarily spread out evenly across the country, instead they’re disproportionately distributed which gives smaller states more influence per voter.
This system influences where candidates focus their time, money, and attention. It creates “swing states” like Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where the election outcome is uncertain and makes candidates concentrate their efforts there. Furthermore, the Electoral College can lead to a situation where the candidate who wins the most popular votes does not win the presidency. This “minority rule” outcome occurred in the 2000 and famously in the 2016 elections, sparking debates over the legitimacy and fairness of the system.
For those who defend the Electoral College, the system has benefits that they believe help protect our democracy. The framers of the Constitution worried about large states or big cities holding too much influence. By giving smaller states extra weight, the Electoral College protects against a system where candidates would only need to focus on a handful of densely populated regions to win. To win the Electoral College, candidates must gain support across various regions and demographics. This encourages a more inclusive campaign strategy, as opposed to a popular vote system where candidates might only campaign in large, urban areas.
For others, however, the drawbacks of the Electoral College outweigh any advantages. In two of the last six presidential elections, the candidate who won the most votes nationwide did not win the presidency. Why should the majority of voters be overruled by an outdated system? When people feel that their vote won’t change the outcome in their state, they’re less likely to show up to the polls. The Electoral College can suppress voter engagement which leaves millions of Americans feeling like their votes do not count. The current system is particularly frustrating for those who live in urban areas, which tend to be more diverse and more progressive. Women, people of color, and low-income communities are often concentrated in cities, meaning their collective voices are diluted by a system that over-represents rural and less populated states.
The 2020 Presidential Election Map
Changing or abolishing the Electoral College isn’t easy. Because it’s written into the Constitution, abolishing it would require a constitutional amendment, which demands a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, plus approval from three-quarters of the states. Given the political divide over the issue, this path is highly unlikely in the short term. The debate over the Electoral College is a debate over representation, fairness, and democracy. While defenders argue that the system prevents the concentration of power, others argue it is an undemocratic and outdated system. Moving toward a popular vote could make every vote truly count and ensure that the president represents the will of the entire country, not just a select few.
