A little dry but important.
There are several colorful, captivating issues in the upcoming election. There’s one, however, that is less sizzling, but may be the most important of all. The electoral college. What is it? How does it work? Why do we need it? It’s time for Civics 101.
We do NOT live in a democracy. We live in a representative republic (“…and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands…”). The President is not chosen by popular vote. He (she) is chosen by 538 Electors. Each state is assigned electoral votes according to population. Electors then cast votes according to the will of the people. In most states, it’s winner take all. The President is not chosen on election day. He (she) is chosen in December when the electors officially cast their ballots. It takes 270 to win.
“We are a nation of states, not individuals. Until we amend the Constitution, the electoral college is the rule.”
Our founders had no intention of creating a majority-rule democracy. Why not? Simple. Pure democracies don’t work. “A democracy never lasts long…because there never was one that didn’t commit suicide,” John Adams. Instead, they created the electoral college as a compromise to electing the president by a popular vote vs a congressional vote.
The main argument against the electoral college is that it appears to ignore the will of the people. The President is determined not by 140 million voters, but by 538 electors. On the contrary. It does not ignore the will of the people. It preserves the rights of the minorities. As Hamilton said, the electoral college prevents “tyranny of the majority.” Using a popular vote, 51% can deny the other 49% any voice. That’s not who we are.
The electoral college also ensures all parts of the country are involved and a 2 party system is preserved. Without it, the number of candidates is unlimited. The “winner” might have 10% of the popular vote leaving him with no credibility. Or, there would be numerous run-offs lasting months or even years. The Senate would be disbanded. There would no longer be any need for 2/state. The most densely populated states would rule.
The greatest threat to our country, however, is loss of faith in the system. FRAUD! No, the APPEARANCE OF FRAUD! The methods are almost endless: harvesting, mail-ins, ballot stuffing, lax security, corrupt officials, counterfeit ballots, false registrations, buying votes, ineligible votes, forged signatures, and on and on. The electoral college reduces the likelihood or, at least, makes it more difficult. It does no good for cheaters to run up votes in NY, CA, or DC. They need to concentrate on “battleground states.” Their problem is they change each election. In 1960, Illinois. In 2000, Florida In 2004, Ohio. In 2016, Michigan & Wisconsin.
Two other possible sources of fraud that are being ignored are opinion polls & the opinion offering media. Both are infamous for being bias & wrong, but believed. Opinion mongers could easily declare a candidate to have an insurmountable lead before election day. With a popular vote, why vote at all? The electoral college protects us against them.
We are a nation of states, not individuals. Until we amend the Constitution, the electoral college is the rule. Everyone knows it and should abide by it. You will hear lefties scream disenfranchisement! What they are really saying is we can’t win using the current rules so the rules are bad, outdated, unfair. They need to be changed. Hmmm, really? We want to make sure every voter is a citizen, every vote is legitimate, and every citizen votes just once. The electoral college is the guarantor of every state’s fair representation. Without it, we have a parliament, not a congress. Without it, we have socialism, not capitalism. Without it, we lose our country. Recognize their tone-deaf, demagogic hypocrisy when they croon to us what a glorious era will dawn when the will of most states in the UNITED STATES of America doesn’t matter anymore.
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule where 51% can take away the rights of the other 49%.” -Thomas Jefferson
PS: Joe Biden is running on 3 national platforms: higher taxes, a national mandate to wear masks, and elimination of tuition in the electoral college.
