A look at the mysterious Electoral College. Why do we have it, what’s the idea, and how can we improve it?
I’m heading to the polls, a slate of choices on my iPhone, going to cast my vote. I love casting my vote. The entire process feels like the ultimate privilege.
When I was a teen, my family spent some time in South Africa, a nation where people had to die to secure the right to vote. I never forgot the lessons I learned watching that struggle. I vote. In honor of my nation and the blood spilled to give me this privilege. I can’t wait.
The Electoral College has been a cornerstone of the U.S. presidential election system since its inception. I’m pretty suspicious of the whole idea. It feels like a choice to protect the interest of slave-holders and elitists, a tool of the powerful, not something we want in a modern-day democracy.
While it has served its original purpose of balancing power between states, it has also delivered two presidents in the last twenty-four years representing a minority of voters. Both those presidents were Republicans. One of the decisions was ultimately made by the five justices of the Supreme Court; a minority choice made by five people doesn’t feel that balanced; it feels biased.
These choices had massive consequences for the nation. It has put the Electoral College front and center in the national debate. As we head into another election with the same fever of a divided country, I wanted to examine the Electoral College, try to understand its purpose, and, more importantly, see how we might improve this unique institution.
I wouldn’t say I like cars. I want to walk. I enjoy public transportation. So I live in cities. Currently, we live in Chicago. We haven’t been here long. This is our first national election here. Chicago feels to me like the American City of the Future. It’s a beautiful city of over eighty neighborhoods. It feels like a cross between London and Melbourne, Australia. It’s located on one of the world’s great wonders—a sprawling, massive sea of fresh water. It’s a northern city. So far, the effects of the climate crisis have given us mild winters and sweet summers.
Chicago is also a bastion of progressive politics. The mayor’s first concern is education. It’s a city looking at the realities of American life and trying to deal with them. For a writer, it’s a haven of creativity. Because of the nature of liberal commitment in this city and state, our votes for a progressive future are secure. Any Republican standing for office in this state better modify the extremes of some of the Republican party. The culture wars have no place here. This city and state, the birthplace of Lincoln and the home of Obama, is not a swing state.
As I walk through the neighborhood to vote, I think about the Electoral College. In Chicago, the Electoral College is not an issue. I’ve spent most of my life in New York, where the Electoral College is not an issue. It does make me wonder—does my vote even count?
The net result of the Electoral College is that four or five states decide everything. It’s hard to see a balance there.
Where did the Electoral College Come From?
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was not a love fest. In some ways, it was a precursor of the divides that still animates the political debate in this country in 2024. Americans love to fight. 1787 was no different.
The Electoral College was a compromise between those who wanted the President to be elected by Congress and those who favored a direct popular vote. The founders sought to balance the influence of states with varying populations while creating a buffer against what they feared could be the dangers of direct democracy—mob rule. The founders were nervous landowners who had just emerged from a period of violence and revolution. Kings were losing their heads in Europe.
James Madison explained why he was in favor of an Electoral College. “The people at large will never act from reason alone. They are more apt to be led by passion, whimsy, and prejudice.” Thank goodness he never lived to see what social media does to voter’s reason.
In Federalist No. 68, Alexander Hamilton wrote, “A small number of persons, selected by their fellow citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated tasks.” He was against leaving such important choices to public sentiment.
Honestly, in 2024, this looks like elitist pretzel logic. Please leave it to your betters. Obnoxious. Just because you were an erudite 17th-century rich man, it’s challenging to justify such myopic, biased thinking in the 21st century.
The Electoral College set up a system where the moneyed class, currently called Billionaires, will settle a tie. There have been five instances where candidates who won the presidency did not secure the majority of the popular vote.
1824 - John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson received the most popular electoral votes but did not reach a majority. The decision went to the House of Representatives, which chose John Quincy Adams, despite Jackson’s lead.
1876 - Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but a disputed electoral vote count led to the selection of Rutherford B. Hayes after the Compromise of 1877.
Proof of the compromise doesn’t exist, but there’s a widespread belief that in backroom meetings, an agreement was reached to end reconstruction and give southern states a break from what they saw as oppressive policies in Washington.
1888 - Benjamin Harrison vs. Grover Cleveland
Incumbent Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote to Benjamin Harrison due to key swing states.
2000 - George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush secured the presidency after a controversial Supreme Court ruling on the Florida recount, giving Bush the state’s crucial electoral votes.
It’s worth noting George’s brother, Jeb, was the governor of Florida and worked hard to deliver his brother the votes he needed. When he couldn’t, the Supreme Court made the choice.
2016 - Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton received nearly 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but Trump won the election by securing a majority of electoral votes, primarily through key wins in swing states.
Five is not that many, but these situations affected the country’s course in massive ways. Gore v Bush cleared the way for an invasion of a foreign country, enormous debt, and a busted financial system. The Supreme Court’s job is to interpret the Constitution, not appoint presidents. But which way will they go if cast in that role again? I don’t think there’s much doubt, which tells us a lot about the current state of SCOTUS.
Can we find a better system?
The Electoral College was designed to balance regional interests and safeguard against potential risks of direct democracy. That’s a generous interpretation of the Founder’s motives. Modern critics argue that it can distort the will of the majority. Can we propose changes that make sense? Here are several proposed reforms to improve the system:
Current System: Most states use a winner-takes-all approach, giving all electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote within that state.
Proposed Change: States could allocate electoral votes proportionally, reflecting the percentage of the popular vote each candidate receives. This would ensure voters across the state are better represented and not overshadowed by a small majority.
Current System: Maine and Nebraska use a district-based voting system, where two electoral votes go to the statewide winner, and individual congressional districts award the remaining votes.
Proposed Change: Expanding this system nationwide could force candidates to focus on a broader range of states and districts, ensuring a more balanced campaign strategy and outcome. This would make electoral votes more reflective of the popular vote.
Current Situation: The NPVIC is an agreement among states to award their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the national popular vote. It will take effect only if states representing at least 270 electoral votes join the compact.
Proposed Change: This initiative would effectively bypass the Electoral College without requiring a constitutional amendment. If successful, it would ensure that the candidate who wins the most votes nationwide becomes President.
Proposed Change: Abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment but would allow for the direct election of the President based on the national popular vote. This would make every vote count equally, regardless of location, and eliminate the focus on swing states.
Proposed Change: Implement ranked-choice voting at the state level, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority, the lowest-ranked candidates are eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on second choices until a winner emerges. This would help ensure that the candidate who receives each state’s electoral votes has broad support.
Proposed Change: Increasing the number of electors could make the system more proportional to each state's population size. This would more closely match the popular vote while still maintaining the existing framework of the Electoral College.
Eliminating the Electoral College is pretty straightforward, but it faces an almost impossible battle as minority interests will go into fill-out panic mode. The NPVIC is intriguing. I’m unsure how people have heard of it, but it could pick up steam. A direct-based voting system seems like a doable compromise. So does the proportional allocation of votes. We used ranked choice in the last NYC mayor’s election, which was interesting. It promoted active voter engagement, but a weaker candidate won.
Election Day is here. My vote was cast. Early voting is going to become a stronger pull for people. It ensures we have time to stay organized and accurate. My polling station in my neighborhood was crowded when I cast my vote ten days before Nov. 5th. That date rattles around my brain. I spent time in London as a kid, Guy Fawkes Day. Remember, remember the fifth of November.
The die, as they say, is cast, and let's hope no one gets hurt. Best of luck to all of us. Vote!
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