Opinion – Why the Electoral College has Failed Us

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By Maya Konings, AEIC

While I have long disagreed with the electoral college, the 2020 presidential election (which at the time of writing still remains uncalled) has highlighted a number of faults within the system. Regardless of which candidate ends up winning the presidency, it is increasingly evident that the electoral college system is inherently undemocratic and has consistently failed to represent the true will of the people.

Winner Takes All

The winner takes all system is one of the most frustrating aspects of the electoral college. Under the electoral college, a candidate only needs to edge out the other candidate slightly to win all of the state’s electoral votes. In both the 2020 election and in previous presidential races, many states have come down to razor-thin margins. The fact that a presidential race could be decided on a tiny handful of votes in one state underscores the notion that the American people truly have a say in their leadership. As a voter in Washington state—which has gone reliably blue since 1988—I have long been frustrated with the feeling that my vote doesn’t matter. Despite being consistently blue, the electoral college ignores major shifts that have gone on in the state, even though they have not led to a flip. In 2016, Hillary Clinton received 52.5% of the vote compared to Donad Trump’s 36.8%, while in 2020 (as of the time of writing) Joe Biden has received 59.5% and Trump has received 38%. Thus, in 2020 Joe Biden built fairly significantly on Hillary Clinton’s lead in 2016, yet under the electoral college, this shift does not matter. Washington still contributes the same 12 electoral votes, despite more of the population voting for the democratic candidate in 2020. Similarly, all of the electoral votes from a state that is decided by razor-thin margins is not representative of that state’s diverse and split population. Regardless of the winner of the 2020 presidential election, we know that many key states have been or will be decided by margins of less than 1%. The massive impact of such a small number of votes—while a large majority of ballots cast have a comparatively very small impact—is indicative that the electoral college does not truly represent the diverse voices of the country.

Racist Past and Present

The founding of the electoral college has had roots in racism from the very beginning. Among other reasons, Southern states heavily advocated for the electoral college system to preserve their political influence while maintaining the system of slavery. A large percentage of the South’s population was made up of (novoting) enslaved people, which would have caused them to lose most presidential elections to the Northern states, which had a relatively equal population in numbers but a higher voting population. However, through the electoral college and the infamous three-fifths compromise, the South was able to include enslaved people in its population without actually giving them the right to vote.

Today, the electoral college still serves as a means to uphold a system of racism and white supremacy in the United States. While the South has a significant Black population, most Southern states go reliably red in presidential elections, effectively diminishing the voice of Black voters. Another instance of the racism that underscores the electoral college is in its disproportionate representation. For example, under the electoral college, voters in Wyoming have approximately one elector for every 200,000 citizens, while in California 700,000 voters share one elector. This means that the vote of a person in Wyoming is worth about 3.5 times as much as a person in California. This fact alone is concerning enough, but the racial makeup of each state must be considered as well. Approximately 92% of people in Wyoming are white, compared to only 37% in California. Through many different avenues, the electoral college continues to disproportionately represent the population and give unfair weight to white voters.

While I admit that I don’t have all the answers for an alternative to the electoral college, I believe it is beyond time to take a good, hard look at an antiquated system that disenfranchises voters and puts unfair weight on small sections of the population. The United States is a diverse, beautiful country who deserves to have its true voices heard.