If presidential elections were decided by popular vote instead of the Electoral College, Al Gore would have been elected president in 2000. How we choose a president profoundly impacts how campaigns are run, the importance of swing states and an election’s outcome. It’s certainly no surprise that the Electoral College vs. popular vote controversy has sparked considerable debate. As the issue surfaces heading into November, is it time to graduate from the Founding Father's Electoral College concept, or are popularity contests no way to choose a president?
Some people think that the current system makes votes in small states more important. Actually, it makes voters in closely divided “battleground” states more important. This year’s battleground states will likely include Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and perhaps Virginia and Colorado—all larger states. Candidates will pay attention to these states and ignore the vast majority of states (both large and small) because those states are deemed safely “red” or “blue” where it does little good for candidates to try to pick up additional votes.
What’s more, as Americans have increasingly moved to communities of like-minded people, the number of states that are battlegrounds has declined dramatically. In 1960, there were 24 battleground states, but this number had dropped to just 13 states in the 2004 election.
While the battleground states may change over time, we know for sure that most of us will be left on the sidelines in any given presidential election. That’s not what democracy should be about.
A national popular vote would make every vote equal. If we want our government to enjoy the legitimacy and respect that can only come from the consent of the governed, we must elect our president the same way we elect every other officeholder in our country: every vote should count the same and the candidate with the most votes should win.
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