The Electoral College is Very Unpopular

A solution advocated in this thread is really quite simple: get rid of winner take all state votes in favor of proportional awards. As you point out, this is not easy, but it is quite simple. I am not sure that giving the smaller states additional EV power makes much sense anymore, but the voter distortion generated by that adjustment is nothing compared to that caused by the swing state vs safe state division created by state winner take all voting.

 

Academic ratings at the Electoral College is poor.

 

The founder of Trump University was also a graduate of the Electoral College.

 

The EC is an injustice? Yes we will have to agree to disagree on that.

 

Well yes, but that’s not what I wrote.

 

I have the perfect compromise. Let's call it the unpopular vote, but it's still the one that counts. We can even call electors the Blue Meanies. Or the Red Meanies if Trump wins.

 

I’m likely in the minority that believes the EC is brilliant — the minority needs to be protected and have a voice in a functioning democracy. Just because the majority wants something, doesn’t mean they should get it. The EC forces compromise and working together (or not).

 

This^. No one in 1929 knew that we would have the internet and pocket supercomputers. A rep can cover 1m people. In 1929 you had to write your congressman by snail mail. Now all these emails and can just be sent to junk mail.

 

Yes, you implied it by saying this is a worthy discussion and then used “injustice”. Might want to reword that post then. Not sure there is any other way to read it.

 

Yes of course I did imply it and believe it. But you misread the subject of the disagreement, which was not about whether the EC is a justice, but instead whether we should be able to discuss an issue that can’t be easily changed. Here are the words again with emphasis on that part:

if your argument is that no injustice should be discussed unless it can be obviously changed in the near future, then we will have to agree to disagree.​

And you made that argument right here:

Like I said, why talk about something that won’t be changed? If you want to debate it great, but it’s a waste of anyone’s time.​

 

Judging by your disagree rating, @gator95, it seems we can’t even agree on what we can’t agree on, lol.

 

Complaining that EC is not "popular" is akin to complaining that firemen put out fires. That aside, some good discussion on this thread concerning history, suggested tweaks to the system, etc. Given the larger and historical picture - USA becoming and remaining the longest standing (and most productive/wealthiest) democratic republic - one might deign to concede that those revolutionaries in late 1800s were fairly bright (albeit imperfect) people with some good ideas about human nature and politics and that good/messy over time is better than the alternatives.

If perfection is your goal, follow those nations/peoples who were convinced that they knew everything and could "codify" the perfect society into existence whether by authoritarianism, pure democracy, socialism, religion, etc. Those societies were wonderful on paper - but hundreds of millions of dead people may have an objection or two.

 

The Electoral College is an anachronism that has never actually operated as the Founders intended. I suggest that one actually read Federalist #68 for the rationale behind the EC. Alexander Hamilton proposed an EC because he (as well as the other Founders when the Constitution was drafted) didn't trust the popular vote and believed that a body of wise men using their independent judgment selected every four years would best be able to select the president. The EC ultimately evolved in a system in which the candidate with the most votes in a state received all of the states electoral votes. The current version of the EC completely distorts the process of campaigning and gives the voters of a very small number of swing states disproportionate power in selecting the president. Although Californians cast more votes for Trump than any other state in the 2020 election those 6 million votes didn't matter, same for the 5,259,126 votes for Biden in Texas.

Whether they're willing to admit it or not they only reason that a certain segment of the electorate including posters on this board support the EC is because it has benefited candidates of the party that they support and may do so again. If a liberal Democrat lost the popular vote and ended up winning thanks to the EC I suspect that virtually all supporters of the EC would be taking the exact opposite of their current position.