The Electoral Equation: Balancing Statehood and Democracy
The Electoral College system is a uniquely American institution that attempts to balance the voices of individual states with the voices of the American people. Critics argue that the process stifles majority rule and allows otherwise-losing candidates to win.
Proponents of keeping the Electoral College
Supporters of the Electoral College system argue that the Electoral College provides unique stability to national politics found nowhere else in the world. They also draw on the foundational document, The Connecticut Compromise, which establishes a spirit of balance in American federal politics between the representation of small states and the rights of the people. Furthermore, advocates of the Electoral College commonly cite the prevention of “tyranny of the majority” as a significant benefit of the institution, reasoning that dividing electoral votes among different geographical regions ensures that each region is important and has a say in elections.
The Electoral College is not a widely popular institution, especially in more liberal regions of the country. 35% of Americans support keeping the current Electoral College structure for presidential elections, but support is largely along party lines. 66% of self-identifying conservatives support the system, while just 37% of self-identifying moderates and liberals do.
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Proponents of reforming the Electoral College
Opponents of the Electoral College argue that every American citizen should have similar representation in presidential elections. They commonly cite data showing the most severe of these disparities: before the 2020 Census, Wyoming voters enjoyed 3.8 times the presidential voting power of Floridian voters. Advocates for a one-person-one-vote process argue that these disparities go against the founding principles of America. Opponents also argue that the Electoral College allows popular-vote losers to win, and therefore should be abolished. Two famous examples cited to defend this claim are Donald Trump’s win in 2016 while losing the popular vote by almost 3 million votes to Hillary Clinton and his narrow reelection loss by just under 43,000 votes in the Electoral College to Joe Biden to whom he lost the popular vote by 7 million votes.
Abolishing or reforming the Electoral College in favor of a direct presidential election is more popular than its alternative, but public opinion has swayed over the years. In 2016 (before the election of Donald Trump), support for abolishing the Electoral College was at its lowest point since 2000. Now, however, a sizable majority of Americans (63%) support abolishing the institution, including 80% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans.
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Abolish the Electoral College PAC
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support abolishing the Electoral College.
