The Electoral College is a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the President and Vice President. It sounds like no big deal but in reality, it takes away from our democracy. The Electoral College was made under unfair assumptions and creates injustice in our government.
1. It was formed on unfair terms.
The Electoral College was the result of a compromise between our founding fathers. According to archives.gov, "The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens." Because we have already established in America that it would be unfair for Congress to elect a President, compromising to satisfy that side of the argument is irrational.
2. Rules should change over time to suit the people.
In the quote I mentioned earlier, it also makes mention to "qualified citizens". When the Electoral College was created, most people did not have the right to vote. The Founding Fathers made the assumption that in order to be intelligent enough to vote, you had to be a white, male who owned land. It is obvious that things change and the Founding Fathers were not all-knowing gods. We have to admit that there are flaws in the original structure and we need to adjust them to suit the people of America.
3. It doesn't accurately represent the voters.
In the most recent election, Hillary Clinton received 65,853,14 votes while Donald Trump only received 62,984,828. Essentially, the majority was overridden by the Electoral College. How can we say we have a Democracy if what the people want is ignored because it is assumed they are too unintelligent to know what is right for them? This assumption is absurd because who is to judge who is smart enough to vote. It also creates a sense of injustice as peoples voices are simply going unheard.
4. It is based on the census.
The census is a head count of everyone living in America. It is a ridiculously expensive process that is often inaccurate as it misrepresents minority groups. This means that states which have large numbers of minority groups have a skewed number of votes in the electoral college. Looking at the popular vote, everyone has an equal opportunity to go and vote. With the Electoral College, not everyone's voice is heard and this creates more injustice in our government.
At the end of the day, the Electoral College is unfair and outdated. Sure, there are many other issues with voting, but the Electoral College is a large issue that is often overlooked. The best thing we can do is stay educated about how our government operates and keep the conversation going. Keep talking about what you think is unfair. Stand up and use your voice!
