The Electoral College

The fact that many cannot explain how the Electoral College works and why the founding fathers decided to implement this system reflects a failure in our education system. Elected officials are discussing and proposing reforms to the Electoral College which is even worse. We have been programmed to believe the POTUS is the President of the United States and represents the people. POTUS really stands for President of THESE United States. Small word changes can make a big difference.

We do not elect presidents directly. Rather, there are 50 state elections that take place and one election in Washington, DC. While the people have the say on the state level, the President is the President of the States, not necessarily the people. In each state, a slate of electors is chosen and they will cast the actual vote for the President. Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution explains “But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States… and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice.”

Why the Electoral College?

The Electoral College was selected for several reasons. The first and most important reason is that the President must win a majority of states in order to win the Electoral College. If we go back to 1787, the population centers were in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Also, the founding fathers recognized if we go by the popular vote, essentially 4 out of 13 states would select the President. How would we be able to call ourselves the United States if the minority of states selected the President? More importantly, why would the other states ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787 if they believed they wouldn’t have proper representation in the system.

If we go by the popular vote

In today’s population numbers, a Presidential candidate would be able to win the popular vote in most urban centers, yet lose the overwhelming majority of states and still become President. We cannot be called the United States if 12 states can select the President and 38 states are irrelevant. In the 2016 election, President Trump won 30 states compared to Hillary Clinton’s 20 states. According to the Associated Press, if we go county by county across the United States, President Trump won 2,626 counties, while Hillary Clinton only won 487 counties.

The Electoral College forces candidates to campaign in smaller states. To win the Electoral College, a candidate must win the majority of states. High populated states/urban areas should not determine who the President is. While the Electoral College is not perfect, particularly when it comes to the difficulty third-party candidates have, it is the Electoral College that ensures stability when selecting a President.

The Electoral College allows for 51 separate elections. Moving to a popular vote would completely undermine the system. It would take power away from the states and essentially create one federal election. This is a national security threat. By having 51 separate elections, it is extremely difficult to rig the presidential election. One federal election makes the system more susceptible to fraud, abuse, and espionage. It is easier for domestic and foreign actors, with malevolent intent, to penetrate one election as opposed to several elections in different states.

Is there really a problem with the Electoral College?

We have had 45 Presidents in the history of the United States. Compare that to Italy’s 43 Prime Ministers since 1946. Throughout the history of the United States, there have only been four occasions where the candidate who had the popular vote, lost the Electoral College vote. These elections include 1876 Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel Tilden, 1888 Benjamin Harrison vs. Grover Cleveland, 2000 George W. Bush vs. Al Gore, and 2016 Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. I do not include the 1824 election of Andrew Jackson and John Q. Adams as neither candidate won the majority of electoral college votes or the popular vote.

In total, 53 of the 58 Presidential elections resulted in the Presidential candidate winning both the popular vote and the electoral college vote. That’s 91 percent. The Electoral College is not the problem. A system should not be changed when it has worked for 230 years. The calls to change the Electoral College are short-sighted and will have a lasting impact that we will eventually regret. Perhaps it is time we start educating people on the importance of the Electoral College. The PAS Report will always fight to uphold the integrity of the U.S. Constitution.

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