I'll admit that I'm not the most well-versed in politics, nor do I care to be. I've held my tongue for a very long time now regarding this election cycle, but after the results of November 8, 2016, I needed to say something.
Our electoral system is broken.
In short, the Electoral College is a group of people in each state that cast their votes for president based on the majority vote of that state. For example, Texas has 38 votes (of the 538 total in the nation); if the majority of voters in Texas vote Republican, which they do, then all 38 electoral votes go to the Republican candidate in their race to 270. All states follow this system, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which proportionally split their electoral votes based on the voter percentages.
The Electoral College dates back to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the Founding Fathers decided it was best to allow a small group of well-educated men cast their votes per each state. This was largely a result of the lack of political knowledge most "commoners" had at the time, as well as the amount of time it took to travel and communicate ideas. It is important to note two things: 1) the Electoral College was based off a time without political parties and national campaigns and 2) the President and Vice President are the only offices to be elected from an Electoral College, rather than the popular vote.
Including the 2016 election, there have been 5 instances where the popular vote did not align with the electoral votes. In other words, there have been 5 instances in our history where the Presidential-Elect reached 270+ Electoral votes, but lost the popular vote. Those elections are as follows:
1824: John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson
1876: Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel L. Tilden
1888: Benjamin Harrison vs. Grover Cleveland
2000: George W. Bush vs. Al Gore
2016: Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton
While 5 elections in our nation's history are not significant by any means, it does raise question as to why the popular vote does not determine the winner of the presidential election, especially considering the popular vote determines the winner of every other governmental position.
With the Electoral College, some votes count more than others, particularly those in swing states, where voter turnout has so much power on which way that state sways. As a registered voter in Texas, I know that unless I vote Republican in any election, my voice theoretically will not be heard, because Texas has, and will continue to, bleed Red - giving all 38 votes to the Republican candidate of that cycle.
It is my personal opinion that our elections should either be changed to the popular vote declaring the winner, or for the Electoral College system to be modified into proportionally splitting the votes each state has based on the percentages of the popular vote. In both cases, this would encourage a higher voter turnout since people would feel more as though their voice is actually being heard.
I am by no means a political expert, nor do I express my views openly on the Internet (or in person). But I, like many others, am disappointed in this entire election cycle. The way in which we elect our president is incredibly outdated an severely skews the votes and voices of many. While I don't expect a change anytime soon, if ever, I still can hope for one.
