Writer Julia Soeder on why the electoral college is outdated and ought to be abolished.
The 2024 presidential election between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden could come down to a few electoral votes in a swing state. But why should the fate of America be decided by a system that has failed the majority five times in the past?
Formed in 1787 as a compromise between deciding the presidency based on a popular vote or a vote in Congress, the Electoral College was created at a time of distrust in executive power and low public education, according to History.com.
After a ballot is cast, the vote goes to a statewide tally with the winner taking all of the electoral votes in 48 states, excluding Maine and Nebraska who use a proportional system, according to the National Archives. A presidential nominee who wins a state’s popular vote will receive all of the state’s electoral votes in the “winner-take all” system. Maine and Nebraska use proportional representation, where Congressional districts award electoral votes based on a popular vote and then two electors based on the winner of the state-wide popular vote.
Trump recently began calling for Nebraska to switch to a winner-take-all system, a move that could potentially benefit him in the 2024 election because Democrats are typically able to win an electoral vote from the congressional district near Omaha, according to the Associated Press.
He hasn’t called for Maine to make the same switch because the system benefits Republicans who typically win Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, according to USA Today.
The double standard proves the focus of the election is on electoral votes, not on being the all-around favorite. The presidential election has become a marketing battleground in swing states and an afterthought in those that are consistently blue or red. With the winner-take-all system, there’s no motivation for presidents to campaign in a noncompetitive state, leaving huge sectors of the population unserved.
Over 200 years after its inception, the electoral college is outdated. Many of its strengths have been eliminated over the years, with 90% of the U.S. population finishing high school or high education in 2017, according to the United States Census Bureau.
The 15th Amendment was added to allow African American men the right to vote. The 19th Amendment was added to allow women the right to vote. Both amendments were brought about because in America it’s a fundamental right to be able to choose who the next president will be.
The American system of voting has changed with time to ensure everyone gets an equal opportunity to share their voice. Now, it’s time America abolishes the Electoral College and decides the presidency based on a direct popular election.
A direct vote would mean that the candidate pairing who received the most votes would be elected president and vice president, according to the Congressional Research Service. In theory, because the electorates are supposed to vote based on their state’s popular vote, it shouldn’t make a difference if the system was abolished.
But, if the Electoral College didn’t exist, Trump would have never become president, having lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by almost 2.9 million votes. Also, just because the electorates are supposed to vote along majority lines, that isn’t always the case.
Faithless electors go against the statewide popular vote and cast their vote for someone else, according to Fair Vote. While faithless electors have never altered the winner of a presidential election, they still represent a potential problem with the system which is that these electors are the one’s doing the choosing when all is said and done.
The Electoral College has silenced the wishes of Americans in five past elections and has the potential to do so in the future. A direct popular vote would ensure that every vote carries the same amount of weight.
It would also promote a system where those running for president don’t campaign based on issues surrounding swing states because they’re so focused on receiving the coveted 270 electoral votes, but rather on topics that impact all Americans.
The point of the U.S. Constitution was to ensure a democracy for all, not just those in power. It’s time to empower the people and have the president be decided based on a nation-wide popular vote.
Feature image by Aidan Cahill / The Phoenix
