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Eliminating Electoral College not Democratic
Gov. Tim Walz gained attention by proposing the elimination of the Electoral College. Although he quickly clarified to ABC that it does not reflect the Harris-Walz campaign’s stance, the broader concern persists that numerous Democrats have advocated for the elimination of the Electoral College in recent times, especially following Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election despite winning the popular vote.
What is the appropriate way for conservatives to react?
Although we acknowledge the possibility of amending the Constitution, Americans should ponder the reasons behind the original design of those processes by our Founders and evaluate if they are still beneficial for our government.
Leftists commonly claim that the Electoral College, our system for choosing a US president set out in the constitution, is outdated and fails to accurately reflect the preferences of all voters. They argue that the popular vote in its entirety is a preferable approach, as it reflects the people’s will, or “democracy.”
This argument overlooks or misunderstands the intention and structure of the Electoral College.
History of Electoral College
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where delegates were sent by states, discussions emerged among the delegates on how to choose a “chief magistrate” or president, leading to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789.
Various suggestions were made, such as the U.S. Congress choosing a president like they choose a Speaker of the House, and other proposals that did not involve citizen voting.
The Founders did not view those proposals as compromising the voting rights of citizens because they believed state government and state sovereignty took precedence over the federal government. In the original plan of our republic, the federal government was supposed to have much less authority compared to the extensive bureaucracy it is now, and it was meant to respect the independence of every state.
The Founders desired a system that was least susceptible to corruption or political interference, thus opting for a method where “electors” instead of regular voters chose the president. Philip VanFossen from Purdue University said that the electors were initially meant to act as a safeguard against a easily misled public, instead of just mirroring the majority’s wishes.
In the end, the creation of the Electoral College was documented in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton endorsing its system in the Federalist Papers to advocate for the approval of the original U.S. Constitution.
Mechanics of the Electoral College
The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors representing all 50 states and Washington D.C. The amount of representatives allocated to each state is determined by the combination of their U.S. Senators (fixed at 2 by the U.S. Constitution) and U.S. Representatives (based on the state’s population). To become president, a candidate needs to secure at least 270 electors, which is the absolute majority.
In cases where no candidate obtains the majority, the 12th Amendment states that the U.S. House of Representatives will select the president as a backup plan, a situation that has occurred two times in America’s past in 1801 and 1825.
Article II, Section 1 gives power to state legislatures to decide how electors are chosen, but prohibits federal officials from being electors. The purpose of granting this power to state legislatures is to ensure that every state has control and influence over their involvement in the Electoral College.
At present, every state picks electors through a popular vote, either statewide or by district, while some states list electors on the ballot. At first, the majority of states allowed state legislatures to choose electors. In modern American history, most states have chosen to use the popular vote at-large or by district to select electors, even though the Constitution allows state legislatures to decide how electors are chosen.
State governments still have the option to revert back to a legislative selection process or adopt an alternative method instead of relying on public votes to appoint electors. In the 2000 election, the Florida legislature thought about selecting their electors if the recount of the ballots went past the federal safe-harbor deadline.
It is evident that although the Electoral College system is in place, the right of the people to vote in elections is still protected by the U.S. Constitution.
Importance of Maintaining
The Electoral College is crucial due to reasons stated by the Founders and the current population demographics in the US.
If the United States switched to a national popular vote, candidates for president would be chosen by the residents of the most densely populated states, leaving the smaller states with no influence. This could lead to presidential candidates focusing their campaigns primarily on a small number of states such as California, New York, and Texas, granting these states an unfair advantage over the rest of the nation.
The Electoral College guarantees that every state is taken into account and competitive. Likewise, just like in our federal legislature, the allocation of electors is both fair (two per state, similar to senators) and based on population. States with bigger populations still possess a greater quantity of electors.
Democrats such as Tim Walz argue for the elimination of the Electoral College because they believe that it benefits Democratic-leaning states with large populations like California and New York, while taking away power from smaller Republican-leaning states. This role is not focused on serving the interests of the public or promoting democracy, instead it involves using tactics to advantage a specific side or political party.
The Electoral College was created with the specific purpose of preventing political manipulation of elections. The reasoning remains valid – and conservatives should continue to make the case that the Electoral College remains the most effective method for selecting our president. We need to safeguard our procedure and our nation.
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