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?
The Electoral College also makes elections more reliable and secure. Under a national popular vote system, a close election could require a nation-wide recount. If the raw vote total were all that mattered, vote fraud anywhere in the country could be decisive. With the Electoral College, a corrupt big city political machine can only steal a presidential election in the unlikely and unpredictable event that its state Electors become decisive to the electoral vote outcome.
In his Farewell Address, George Washington warned against attempts to change the Constitution based on “mere hypotheses and opinion,” and counseled that “experience is the surest standard” when considering constitutional changes—wise words that weigh heavily in favor of the Electoral College.
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