Better Election System: Popular Vote or Electoral College?

Recommend (0) Comments (1)

Electoral College opponents often argue that “two-thirds of states do not matter” under our current system. Their argument appears true if the focus is on one or a handful of election years in isolation. But the argument loses its force if the full history of states’ voting is taken into account. In this country, there is no such thing as a permanently safe or swing state. Even very safe states can’t be ignored for an extended period of time. They can and will switch their vote next time around.

Yes, it probably seems to many voters that states such as California and New York could never again be expected to vote for anything other than a Democrat. Yet their "safe" status is relatively recent. California voted for George H.W. Bush in 1988. New York voted for Ronald Reagan both times. Many of today’s “safe Republican” states—states such as Georgia, Louisiana, or Kentucky—voted for Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

The divide between red and blue often seems very stark and hard to overcome. Red states may seem intractably red, while blue states seem just as obstinately blue. But the situation is no more permanent than the stubborn divide between north and south that existed in the late 1800s. Then (as now), the electoral map was so closely divided that neither political party could afford to sit back and rely only on its “safe states.” Instead, each party was motivated to reach out to voters in other parts of the country. The Electoral College helped Americans then to better understand each other and work toward unity. It will do the same now.

The swing state issue may create frustrating moments for some voters in the short term. But we are not trying to create an electoral system that will serve one voter in one time and at one place. We are striving to create a presidential election process that will sustain a healthy situation for many generations of voters. A full study of the states’ histories of voting reveals that the Electoral College has done exactly that for more than 200 years.