The Electoral College might’ve made sense in 1787. But in 2024? It’s a historical compromise that’s outlived its purpose… and it’s undermining democracy in the process.
Designed to balance power between big and small states, the Electoral College was never a pure expression of the people’s will. And that’s the problem. Today, it’s entirely possible and not uncommon; for someone to win the presidency without winning the popular vote. That’s not democracy. That’s a rigged system with a founding-era hangover.
The Original Idea: Fairness or Fear?
When the Constitution was being written, big states wanted direct popular elections. Small states, worried they’d get drowned out, demanded protection. So the Electoral College was born, a system where each state gets electors equal to their congressional delegation (Senate + House).
As Marc Landy notes, the framers “were attempting to strike a delicate balance” between public influence and state power (Landy 2003, 67). Electors were supposed to be independent… a safeguard against the rise of dangerous populists.
But the system has never really worked as intended, and in modern elections, it creates more chaos than clarity.
Popular Vote ≠ President
Let’s talk facts. Five times in U.S. history, presidents have taken office without winning the popular vote — most recently in 2000 and 2016. Al Gore won by half a million votes but lost to George W. Bush due to razor-thin wins in swing states. Hillary Clinton got nearly 3 million more votes than Trump, but he still won the presidency.
“The Electoral College can create a mismatch between the popular will and the outcome,” writes George C. Edwards (2004, 46). That mismatch cuts deep, especially in a country that claims to champion “one person, one vote.”
The Swing-State Circus
Another huge flaw? Campaigns ignore most of the country. If you’re in California, Texas, or New York, don’t expect a visit. Your vote’s already assumed. Candidates chase the battleground states — Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan — because that’s where elections are won and lost.
Bruce Ackerman puts it plainly: the Electoral College “distorts the political process by overemphasizing a small number of battleground states” (1998, 214). That means voters in “safe” states get sidelined while swing-state issues dominate national debate.
Winner-Takes-All: The Bad Deal
Most states use a winner-takes-all method. Win by a hair? You get all the state’s electoral votes. Lose by a sliver? You get nothing. It’s a system that exaggerates small wins and erases millions of voices.
As Landy explains, this rule “amplifies the importance of a few states” while diminishing everyone else (2003, 95). That’s not just unfair… it’s undemocratic.
What Defenders Say… and Why They’re Wrong
Defenders of the Electoral College argue it protects small states and forces candidates to campaign broadly. They say it’s a bulwark against direct democracy and populism.
But the numbers don’t lie. The system actually gives small states more power per voter and lets presidents win without a national majority. As Edwards writes, “smaller states have more influence… than their population size would justify” (2004, 58).
Sure, protecting minority voices matters… but not at the expense of basic democratic legitimacy.
The Fix: One Person, One Vote
Abolishing the Electoral College and switching to a national popular vote would make every vote count equally. No more swing-state bias. No more presidents elected by technicality.
Edwards puts it bluntly: “A popular vote would ensure that every vote truly matters” (2004, 58). Klinkner and Smith agree: it would “more accurately reflect the nation’s preferences” without distortion (2013, 115).
Final Word
The Electoral College was built for a different America. It no longer works for the one we live in now. It distorts elections, silences millions of voters, and props up outcomes that clash with democratic ideals.
If we are committed to democracy, it may be time to consider eliminating the Electoral College. Let the people decide. Directly, equally, and without compromise.
Sources:
Ackerman, Bruce. We the People: Transformations. Harvard University Press, 1998.
Edwards, George C. Why the Electoral College is Bad for America. Yale University
Press, 2004.
Klinkner, Philip D., and Rogers M. Smith. The American Polity: American Government
and Politics. 7th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.
Landy, Marc. The Politics of the American Constitution. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Smith, Rogers M. Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History. Yale
University Press, 1997.
Adrian M.