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?
Although our current system was not the intentions of the framers of our constitution (only 3 states used it for our first presidential election), most states now allocate 100% of their electoral votes to the candidate who carriers their state, even if they win by a small margin. This so-called “winner-take-all” system artificially divides our country into red, blue, and “swing” states. The safely red and blue states suffer from lower turnout.
Voter participation was 10 points higher in the 12 swing battleground states of 2004, which receive nearly all of the attention of the candidates, compared to the 12 safest states that are routinely ignored. It makes sense—if a voter knows that one candidate will carry their state regardless of how they vote then they have little incentive to make the trip to the polls.
A national popular vote would particularly increase turnout among young voters. In the last presidential election, turnout among 18 to 29-year olds was 64.4% in the top 10 battleground states and 47.7% in all other states. This 17-point margin could mean the difference between an engaged electorate and an anemic one over the next generation.
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