Pros And Cons Of Abolishing The Electoral College

Bella Seedhouse Mrs. Sisamis CCP Government 3 May 2024 Abolition of the Electoral College The United States government is constantly changing and evolving to suit the needs of its citizens and to best represent the majority. Shifting from the Articles of Confederation to drafting the Constitution is just one example of the many times the United States has progressed towards the betterment of the nation. The ability of our government to change laws and our founding document allows our nation to move forward and continuously improve our system of democracy. Currently, there is an issue with the voting system and presidential election outcomes: the Electoral College. The Electoral College maintains the power to overrule the decision of the popular

Pate claims that presidential candidates would ignore “issues Iowans care about, particularly rural matters” (Pate). He asserts that abolishing the electoral college would harm these smaller states. However, in a majority-wins-all election, every vote is equally important. This cannot be said for the Electoral College currently, as it favors smaller swing states and ignores bigger states. Pate argues for equality, but fails to recognize that the current system does not fairly represent the entire country. An article published by Brookings Institution counters Pate’s argument, and explains how the current Electoral College system is unrepresentative of the majority. Darrel West writes that “at a time of high income inequality and substantial geographic disparities across states, the Electoral College systematically over-represents the views of relatively small numbers of people” (West). These states have a smaller population, and “smaller economic activity [disproportionate to the] power to choose presidents and dictate public policy”