A growing number of Americans are becoming dissatisfied with the political landscape. Interestingly, most citizens now want to abolish the Electoral College altogether, a move that could have profound implications for the Republican Party.
The Electoral College
Despite being a longstanding feature of elections in America, the Electoral College is facing mounting criticism. Some argue that it distorts the will of the people given that it’s been known to pave the way for candidates to win the presidency without winning the popular vote.
Hilary Clinton and Al Gore
In 2016, Hilary Clinton lost to Donald Trump despite receiving almost 2.9 million more votes than him. Similarly, George W. Bush won the election in 2000 even though Al Gore garnered over 500,000 more votes.
Rising Support for Popular Vote
Over the years, support for scrapping the Electoral College has grown and grown. A survey suggested that 65% of adults think the president should be elected based on the popular vote alone. Only a third supported keeping the Electoral College. Interestingly, Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents were more likely to endorse a popular vote system, with 82% in favor compared to 47% of Republicans.
Changing Republican Attitudes
Despite the aforementioned statistic, opinions on the Electoral College within the Republican Party have changed over the years. Shortly after the 2016 election, only 27% of Republicans supported abolishing it. As previously stated, that figure is now 47%.
Youthful Enthusiasm for the Popular Vote
Perhaps unsurprisingly, young Americans are at the forefront of advocating for a popular vote system. Of people under 50, 70% expressed a preference for the popular vote compared to 60% of over 65s.
The Republican Advantage
The Electoral College has long favored the Republican Party due to the influence of smaller-sized, conservative-leaning states. Critics argue that this system gives such states disproportionate power.
Broad National Consequences
Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, said: “The Electoral College does mean a small number of states have undue weight in the outcome of our elections and that smaller manipulations can have broad national consequences.”
A Significant Disadvantage
According to David Shor, a leading Democrat data analyst, Democrats need to secure 52% of the vote just to have a 50/50 chance of winning the presidency – a significant disadvantage. Even in the 2020 election, where President Joe Biden won by around 7 million popular votes, the outcome could have been very different if a mere 43,000 Biden voters had not turned out in the crucial states of Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
Calls for Change and Historical Perspective
Jesse Wegman, author of “Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College,” argued that the Electoral College’s creation was hurried and had deviated from the founders’ intentions.
Jesse Wegman’s Words
Wegman said: “Despite what you may have learned in school, it was not the product of careful design by brilliant men. Thrown together at the last minute by the country’s founders, it almost immediately stopped functioning as they thought it would. And yet we have generally accepted it for centuries on the assumption it serves an important purpose.”
The Internet’s Response
News of the country’s shift in opinion was shared across the internet and people flocked to comment sections to give their views. One person said: “This will never happen as an amendment to the Constitution would be needed to change the Electoral College. Never going to get enough states to approve it.”
This Will Not Happen
Echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “Eliminating the Electoral College will require a constitutional amendment which will require the approval of 3/4 of the states. This will not happen.”
A Process That No Longer Works
In response to the previously mentioned individual, another commenter wrote: “There are rules in the Constitution on the requirements to amend it and you are correct. It would take some work. However, that isn’t a reason to not even try to fix a process that no longer works for our country.”
A First Step
The commenter continued: “The president should be selected by popular vote, just like all other elected officials. I would also note that the first step to addressing this change could be done at the state level. The states decide how their electoral votes are counted. Instead of giving all the state’s electoral votes to one person, they can be proportionally distributed, based on the percentage of votes each candidate gets. There are some states that already do this, based on what I have read.”
No Power for the People
Another commenter said: “What the Electoral College does is make some votes more important than others. As my high school government professor stated, the Electoral College is designed to keep power out of the hands of the people.”
Truly Divided Commenters
Commenters truly were divided, with both sides feeling that the other side’s opinion was undemocratic. “Get rid of the corrupt Electoral College. If a candidate can’t win the popular vote, they shouldn’t win,” one person wrote.
The Rural Areas
Another individual said: “Living in the country and small cities is a whole different lifestyle than the people who live close enough to their neighbors to see the whites of their eyes. Fewer people live in the rural areas, so the Electoral College makes their voices heard.”
It’s the People That Matter
Others went as far as to say that the U.S. does not currently have democracy. One commenter wrote: “As far as I’m concerned, we cannot say we have democracy while the Electoral College exists. In a democracy, everyone’s vote is valued equally. Places with higher populations have more say because there are more people there and it’s the people that matter.”
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