The Electoral College is killing our democracy.
The Electoral College reduces voter turnout.
In each Presidential election cycle, only a handful of swing states receive the bulk of candidates’ — and the media’s — attention. This reduces voter turnout in the non-swing states.
Due to the Electoral College’s “winner-take-all” mechanism, voters in rural areas in states with large metropolitan areas are typically disenfranchised. What incentive do these voters have to cast a ballot?
“Swing states” receive all the attention.
In each Presidential election cycle, 90 percent of all campaign visits are to the handful of swing states. Not a single campaign visit occurred in California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, or Washington (among others) in 2020.
Is this fair? What’s so special about this handful of states?
The Electoral College doesn’t reflect the will of the people.
Five times in the United States’ history — twice within our lifetimes — has the winner of the Electoral College received the fewer overall number of votes cast by citizens. How can a democracy be sustained when the will of a majority of voters is simply ignored?
The Electoral College’s origins are in the slavery era.
When the Framers met in 1787 to debate and write the Constitution, the populations of the northern and southern states were nearly equal, but one-third of the South’s population was in bondage and could not vote. Realizing that the South would be at a considerable disadvantage, the last-minute three-fifths compromise was reached.
What was the three-fifths compromise?
Malignant forces can thwart the will of the people.
U.S. Capitol, January 6, 2021
“When people perceive … that their vote doesn’t matter, they will eventually reject the system.”
— Jesse Wegman. “Joe Biden Won the Most Votes. It Doesn’t Matter,” The New York Times, December 13, 2020.
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