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Juan Donado

High School Student,

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Should Americans eliminate the Electoral College and elect their presidents through simple majority vote?

Given that some presidents have won without persuading the majority of Americans, and the huge deal of money spent only on swing states I ask myself that question

I have always thought that it is unfair that republicans in California or Democrats in Texas are not taken into account just because people around them think differently.

Time for change?

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  • Age Funk

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    Nov 16 2012: On the one hand, it's apples and oranges. One cannot truly compare a country half the size of Oregon with only 10.5 million people to America at all. Everything is on a smaller scale. But on the other hand, I'd love to see America's magnification *of* this smaller scale - where 10.5 million people have 11 candidates to choose from, America having 11 doesn't seem so 'wild' to me by ratio. 350 candidates (1 per million citizens) is a bit much, and maybe that possibility is a fear behind abandoning the EC. But back to your question, the press is as - or more - active than the US, it's just a smaller market. When there are political (or other) scandals here, it monopolizes the media's attention in a way that puts TMZ to shame, but it's also possible to campaign on that same smaller scale, thereby giving "regular people" a real shot without SuperPACs and corporate/lobby/interest support being required in the USA. I think it is both the R/D for life mentality and large size that breeds negativity.

    I guess my stance goes back to my original post: That I don't understand why there are so many defenders of the EC when no beneficial reasons have been cited thus far. Everyone seems to agree with my general statement that when a citizen lives in an area with disparate political beliefs, their presidential vote doesn't matter, and my statement is that I believe every citizen's vote for president should count. If not, than in many ways, the USA is a parliamentary republic: Parliament being the electors for the states, who vote for what the majority of their people want in unison. I feel like the bulk of what I've read from EC supporters on the topic are answering with a variety of "because that's the way it's always been" answers, without citing real benefits over a true popular vote system.

    I was brought up to believe my vote matters and it doesn't, all because of an archaic system that no one else in the world uses, and due to my geography as a registered voter.

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