Let’s Un-elect The Electoral College
By Wes Hessel
Thinking Inside The Box
The two highest offices in the land are not directly selected by the voters. Actually, up until the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913, U.S. Senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures as well. But that’s old, old news, or it should be, even though there have been a few people speaking up lately about repealing the 17th – apparently they have been thinking outside the ballot box. As a certain so-called president has been doing his entire administration.
The Old College Try
The U.S. president and vice-president are actually elected by a group who are newly formed each presidential election year. Known as the electoral college, their existence is mandated in Section 1, Clause 2 of Article II of our Constitution. The Constitution gives the state legislatures the power to determine the method of electors being chosen. Since the 1820’s, that method has been indirectly by the votes of the people during a presidential election. While the candidates’ names are on the ballots, the voters are actually choosing electors who are pledged to a certain presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
