The Electoral College
is not going anywhere. It is part of the Constitution and, as such, would
require a Constitutional amendment to change it. Constitutional amendments
require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of each house of Congress before even being
considered for ratification. If you think small states, via their senators and
representatives, are going to give up the power the Electoral College gives them, you are delusional. Then there’s
ratification, which requires three-fourths (3/4) of the state legislatures.
Again, small states will not be giving up their power vested in the Electoral
College any time soon.
Yes, the E.C. has racist roots, designed to protect the power of the Southern (i.e., slave) states. Yes, it gives disproportionate power to less populous areas of the country. So yes, it's antiquated and unfair. It’s still part of the Constitution and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. So sign your petitions,
rail and wail on Facebook, debate the value, knock yourself out. Or maybe spend your
time trying to change something that will actually make a difference.
Ok..if we are stuck with the Electoral College, then it needs to be revised so that it accurately reflects the popular vote. One suggested way would be for states to go the way of New Jersey and split their delegates proportional so as to more accurately reflect their state's popular vote. Otherwise states with small amounts of delegates can be overlooked and candidates will pander to states with larger delegate numbers. Essentially I feel like the current system should be seen as being in conflict with the people's voting rights. We voted...but the Electoral College will not reflect the popular vote accurately...so how was our vote as a people, really valid or heard? The Electoral College essentially threw the people's voting record out the window and invalidated the results of the people's vote. Doesn't that seem like a conflict of Constitutionality? Our voice through vote was ignored as a population was overridden by delegates and a policy that is outdated and inaccurate in reflecting the voice of the people.
ReplyDeleteStates do have the right to apportion their electors and a couple do, although I don't think New Jersey is one of them. While it would be difficult politically, it is, in theory, a less obstacle prone path. However, I would point out that this, too, may be a "Be careful what you wish for" scenario. Look at how the congressional districts have been gerrymandered and it's not hard to see how the popular vote could still be subverted if one party's electors were confined to a narrow demographic of a handful of districts. Thanks for reading and commenting.
ReplyDeleteAw..you can see that I have been teaching American History to 8th graders as I had recalled New Jersey had split the delegates in the 1860 election. Currently it is Maine and Nebraska that split delegates. I see your point about how that too might not fix this system.
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