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?
Today, each state political party nominates a group of potential Electors who pledge to support the party’s presidential candidate. If the party’s presidential candidate wins the statewide vote, all of that party’s nominees become Electors. Two states—Maine and Nebraska—are exceptions; in those states, one elector is elected from each congressional district and the remaining two are elected based on the statewide vote.
If the purpose of government is liberty and justice, the Electoral College has done America proud. The system moderates our politics and protects minority rights. If the purpose of government is simply enforcing the will of the majority, the Electoral College is in question.
An Electoral College tie in 1800 and lack of a majority in 1824 left it to the House of Representatives to elect Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams, respectively. The House also settled a dispute over electors in 1876, giving victory to Rutherford B. Hayes against a possible popular vote majority for Samuel J. Tilden. In 1888 and again in 2000, the Electoral College winner had slightly fewer popular votes than his opponent, though neither candidate received a majority of the total votes cast.
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