Why I'm Not In Favor of Abolishing the Electoral College

Since this last election, there have been many cries for the Electoral College to be abolished.  That's something I'm not in favor of, despite the fact that a simple popular vote would have meant the candidate that I voted for would be in the White House right now.

A little history for those who forget: the Electoral college was part of an agreement between the states (then colonies) to ensure the smaller states would have a voice in electing the President.  States with smaller populations would not be represented much at all without that as well as the way Congress is structured.  Candidates would only visit areas with a higher population and ignore the smaller, more rural areas of the country.  States like California, New York, Texas, and Florida would be the ones deciding the Presidency while other states would have only a small part in the process.

It might sound fine on the outset if that's "your candidate" that would win in that scenario.  I'm hesitant because things can change on a dime.  I like it that the less populous states can come into play during an election cycle.  In many cases, it would boil down to the "industrial states" with big cities deciding who our President would be while the rural farming states would be largely left out of the process.  Even though I often don't see eye-to-eye with those people, I don't think that's the way to go.  I do think the Founding Fathers got this one right.

It won't happen in any case, because that could only be done through a Constitutional Amendment and the smaller states will not vote for it. Much like other things I see on the agenda of some "liberals", it's just something that ends up being more divisive than constructive although I don't think it's quite as bad as some of the other things they talk about that will never happen and just serve to divide us more.  Both sides could be more realistic about their goals at times, but the sound bites seem to take precedence. 



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