Opinions No matter who wins, it's time to get rid of the electoral college

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Something’s happening in Texas. Before today’s election, 9.7 million Texans had already voted — 108 percent of total ballots cast there in the last presidential election. In just four years, Texas has catapulted from second-to-last in voter turnout to a national leader in early voting. This is no coincidence. Now that this once-red state is emerging as a toss-up, residents are turning out in record numbers, believing that their votes will finally have a meaningful effect on the presidential election. Though this is a tremendous success story, it also underlines one of our Constitution’s greatest failures: Under the electoral college, some votes matter far more than others.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) may have said it best: “Call me old-fashioned, but I think the person who gets the most votes should win.” The electoral college is indeed an undemocratic travesty, and no matter who wins this election, it’s time for us to move toward a national popular vote.

Many electoral college advocates cite its anti-democratic nature as a benefit, explaining that the institution serves as a bulwark against the so-called “tyranny of the majority.” In reality, however, the institution enables a tyranny of the minority, allowing political factions to entrench their rule by appealing to a small group of voters. It’s mathematically possible to win the electoral college with less than 22 percent of the popular vote. That’s an extreme case, but the fact remains that, under the electoral college, a voter in Wyoming has nearly four times the power of a voter in California. By creating artificially narrow results, the electoral college makes it 40 times more likely that the results are close enough that the outcome could be swung by unelected judges. No wonder 61 percent of Americans support the electoral college’s abolition, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Likewise, consider the not-so-far-fetched scenario in which today’s election ends in a 269-269 draw. The decision then goes to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation casts one vote. In this situation, the state of North Dakota (population: 762,000) has the same influence as Texas (population: 29 million). In theory, delegations representing just 16 percent of the total U.S. population could pick the next president.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/opinions-no-matter-who-wins-its-time-to-get-rid-of-the-electoral-college/ar-BB1aEybz?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=DELLDHP

[Blue Owl]

1. Can't argue...

Seeing as if it were not for them, we would have had Hillary the past four years.

Just think what a different and better nation we would have been, were it not for the EC giving us the scourge that has been Donald Trump...

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Constitutional Amendment! Good idea or not, don't we have enough...

on our plates already.

How abut getting the country back on track?

[SheltieLover]

3. Absolutely!

[stopdiggin]

4. all true

also true that a constitutional amendment is a steep hill to climb (even with large popular support)

But -- I think the fundamentally undemocratic principles involved in the EC are becoming more widely known and understood. Now might be the right time to start the push for change. Maybe our children can benefit one day.

[kurtcagle]

5. Getting the process rolling

The ERA amendment needs to come first - it's reached the minimum number of states to be implemented. I believe that means that all it needs is Biden's signature. However, getting the groundwork in place for an amendment of that magnitude will take time. Put out the fires, but start thinking about what the shape of that amendment will look like.

[gladium et scutum]

7. Not the case

"I believe that means that all it needs is Biden's signature."

The President has no part to play in amending the Constitution, other than standing on the sidelines and cheering it on. I believe Congress could revive the Amendment by extending the ratification deadline date. This action would probably be taken to the Federal Court system and eventually the SCOTUS.

[blueinredohio]

6. I just told my grand son that its time to get rid of the electoral college.

Its not going to happen soon. He's 23 and I told him his generation is going to have to do that and make a lot of changes.

[Skittles]

8. DAMN STRAIGHT

it served a purpose a long time ago but there is absolutely ZERO reason now why someone's vote should count more than another's - it is crazy and has given us two nitwt presidents in recent history. The Electoral College makes it much easier to steal elections.

[1plus1equals1]

9. The Electoral College was developed to give white property/slave owners the ability to keep a

presence at the federal level. I would argue that the institution is at the core of bigotry and racism in our nation and should be abolished immediately. This election is just another example why; if we relied on the popular vote the presidential election would be called by now.