ELECTORAL COLLEGE VS DEMOCRACY

Ever since the beginning of our government’s formation, one of the biggest issues and largest controversies has been the voting system. From how the system should work, to who gets to do it, to whom Americans should vote for, voting has been a prevalent topic in the United States. Current voting issues include whether or not the Electoral College inhibits our democracy and whether or not the Electoral College should even be around. When it was first created, the Electoral College was meant to give the smaller states more of a voice in the vote. However, it is now argued that the Electoral College inhibits democracy because it disregards the popular vote and overrepresents smaller states; therefore, it should be eradicated. 

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Throughout the history of the United States of America, there has been more than one case in which a presidential candidate won the popular vote but did not win the Electoral College’s final vote. The most recent of these occasions was only a few years ago, in 2016, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton based on the Electoral College. According to ABC News, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2,864,974 votes, which is the largest margin of votes between the losing and winning candidate in the history of this country. Democracy is a system of government in which the power is vested in the people, yet when it comes to presidential elections, the popular vote of the people is not being respected. The Electoral College eliminates the idea of a popular vote establishing a president. By doing this, some power is taken away from the people because despite what the majority of the population wants, the race may turn a different way. Not only does the Electoral College hinder the power of the people, but it also gives greater power to higher members of government, which should be limited if we wish to preserve our democracy.

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Still, many believe that the Electoral College is necessary to give smaller states more of a voice; however, this has led to some states being over-represented. The constitution says that all states are guaranteed a minimum of 3 ECVs, or Electoral College Votes, even if a state's population does not equate to that level of representation. So, while this does in fact increase the voice of smaller states, it is not necessarily a fair balance. Equality is an incredibly important foundation for this country, and in order for every individual’s voice to be equally heard, they must also be equally represented. By allowing some states to have an unbalanced level of representation, it takes away the meaning of equality. In other words, the Electoral College could actually be giving smaller states more power than necessary.

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The Electoral College does not facilitate democracy, it inhibits it. By not representing every voice equally, the Electoral College conflicts with the founding principles of the Constitution. If the government were to instead use the popular vote, then every vote would have equal value. Presidents would be elected on the basis of a majority of people believing them to be the best candidate, which is exactly how democracy should run. Giving each vote equal power is important for ensuring that the people of this country maintain their power and fundamental for protecting the foundation of our country.