The Electoral College Stinks
The Electoral College Stinks
Support the National Popular Vote compact, it makes sense if you believe in democracy.
By D. S. Mitchell
Losing While Winning
I believe whoever wins the most votes should become president of the United States. Unfortunately, with the Electoral College system that is not what happens. Twice in the last five elections the candidate that became president of the United States lost the popular vote. Donald Trump, won by less than 80,000 votes in four key electoral college states. He simultaneously lost the national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. That means the guy who came in second was elected in 2016 (Trump), 2000 (Bush), 1888 (Harrison), 1876 (Hayes), and 1824 (J.Q. Adams), thereby altering history. Does anyone doubt that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have looked very different than the Trump presidency that we got.
The GOP Solution
The Electoral College system has become a powerful tool for the Republicans in their effort to lock in one party control of government. Elie Mystal, in an Editorial from a couple of years back, in The Nation magazine, wrote the GOP’s ultimate solution to the country’s changing demographics is to “forge a new theory of government where the rule by a white minority can withstand the popular will.” The nature of that effort was clear during Trump’s first impeachment trial. Republicans desperate to acquit Trump married themselves to a group of discredited legal theories, perhaps appropriate in a banana republic, but certainly not fitting for one of the world’s longest surviving democracies. The Senators embraced a view of executive power and privilege, that ultimately denies our democracy and anoints a king; which coincidently meshes nicely with Trump’s “permanent immunity claims.”
The Strategy Is Clear
It is clear that suppression of the vote is essential to the Republican plan. They expect through purges of voting rolls, gerrymandered districts, support from a corrupt Supreme Court, and a vocal MAGA crowd in the U.S. Congress to insure that the rule of the few will continue to rule over the many. The foundation of their minority rule is the Electoral College. Elie Mystal emphasized in his editorial, “The Electoral College functions to elevate the voting power of white citizens in low population states over the will of popular majorities.” Under the absurd theories laid out by Trump’s Republican defenders at his first impeachment trial he could not be impeached for abuse of power-but any Democrat could be. A mind-blowing sentiment and a mounting danger to our democracy.
Historical Perspective
The constitution gives each of the 50 states a set of ‘electors’ equal to its number of federal representatives and senators combined. These electors then make up the Electoral College. In the current Electoral College system, the presidency is given to the candidate who wins no less than 270 of the 538 available electoral votes. The U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the power to choose how presidential electors are chosen. Since the 1800’s, each state (with the exceptions of Maine and Nebraska) has awarded its electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote in that state, regardless of whether the candidate wins by one vote or by millions.
What is the NPV?
What is the National Popular Vote Compact? Under the NPV system, states and the District of Columbia commit to award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote instead of the state winner. Such a system would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. This effort requires the commitment of enough states to meet the 270 combined electors-a majority-to agree to the new system.
One Person, One vote
The NPV plan was Introduced in 2006, as of March 2024 it has been adopted by sixteen states and the District of Columbia. These jurisdictions have 205 electoral votes, which is 38% of the Electoral College and 76% of the 270 votes needed to give the compact legal force. Remember 270 electors are needed. Furthermore, there are at least nine states where the bill has passed both chambers and is awaiting further action.
Action Over Anger
It is easy to become frustrated and angry knowing that Donald Trump actually “lost” the election in 2016. Despite his popular vote loss Trump took up space for four years in the White House, not Hillary Clinton. It quickly became clear, Trump is not only temperamentally unfit to hold the job, but corrupt as well. Trump’s then Twitter attacks on everyone from a dead senator to a Gold Star family is not just shameful, it is alarming.
Action Required
We must reform the anti-democratic way we choose the president. The outdated and undemocratic, “winner take all” Electoral College system must be corrected so that voters in all fifty states have a real say in choosing our presidents. Let’s never again allow a person of Donald Trump’s corrupt character (twice impeached, four time indicted become president without winning the popular vote.
It Can Work
The U.S. Constitution says nothing about how states must award their electors-and that is why the National Popular Vote Compact is a plan that can work. The NPV will have the same effect as a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College. If the NPV is passed by enough states, members of the Electoral College will vote for the winner of the popular vote for all 50 states.
A Dramatic Reshaping
Passage of the National Popular Vote Compact has the potential to dramatically reshape our country. Hopefully, it will force candidates to spend time engaging with voters nationwide instead of a handful of swing states. Such action has the potential to rebuild American’s trust in our government. It is vital to show the will of the majority is operating unhampered and unfettered.
A Few Obvious Advantages
Equality: Every vote is of equal value. The one man, one vote principle is essential to a flourishing democracy. Fairness: biggest vote getter wins the election. Constitutional: Because the Constitution clearly entrusts the choice of presidential electors specifically to the states.
Call The Governor
First, discuss the failure of the Electoral College to protect democracy and how we can fix it, with anyone who will listen. Second, call the office of the governor in the following states: Montana, Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, North Carolina and Maine, and urge every governor to sign the legislation this year prior to the 2024 election. Support for pro-democratic Electoral College reform is wide-spread along with the outcry over the current Supreme Court. Political action groups including League of Women Voters, ACLU, Common Cause, and Sierra Club support the NPV.
Our Time
I recently heard a television pundit declare this to be “our time.” In many ways that is correct. It is our time to demand equality at the voting box. The very democracy that we hold dear is on the verge of collapse. If we are to save our basic freedoms we must generate a voter turn out of Titanic proportions. A massive voter turnout, gargantuan enough to bury the Republican dream of single party rule. I am dreaming of a blue wave in 2024. Democrats are working for a more equitable voting system by fixing the broken Electoral College. Join the fight by donating money and time to organizations lobbying for the National Popular Vote Compact.
Conservative Control
Approval of the Compact would be a victory for democracy and the principle of “one person, one vote.” The NPV is in direct opposition however to the Republican plan to stay in power forever. The conservative control of government is structural and fundamental with the Electoral College at its heart.
**If you found this article interesting you might want to read more about the Electoral College and its effect on American elections.
