The Electoral College is an outdated institution and should be abolished.
It wasn’t until 40 years had passed after the ratification of the Electoral College (1788), that power began to consolidate to the two distinct political mindsets that continue today. Only four times the Electoral College has gone against the popular vote since the establishment of the two-party system: 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016, each time in the Republicans’ favor.
This system has made it so candidates address the issues of a few battleground states, ignoring one-party states. Some argue that smaller states won’t have a voice without the system, but of the 25 least populous states in the two months leading up to the election, only four were visited last year by either candidate. Of the 25 most populous states during this same period, 12 were visited by either candidate. Sixteen states out of 50 were given real concern and 12 of them had 5.5 million people or more. The system is not meant to address the needs of small states; it’s only meant to address the needs of states that can be flipped for the electoral votes.
One person, one vote, at least for the presidency. Otherwise the states that aren’t deemed battlegrounds are never going to have their issues addressed by presidential candidates.
