Is The Electoral College Killing the Democratic Process?

There’s been 5 times in U.S. history where the guy who became president lost the popular vote, but won the electoral vote. And two of those times were just in the last 20 years. And with a new presidential election coming up, there’s lots of chatter about the value of the electoral college with critics asking is it time to get rid of the electoral college?

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**What is the electoral college?**
The electoral college is the process for how we vote for our president here in America. When you go and cast your vote, you’re not really voting for the president, you’re actually voting for electors, who then go and vote for the president. There are a total of 538 electors. Each state (and DC) gets at least 3, and then the rest are based on the states population size -- determined every 10 years by the US census. In most states, it’s winner takes all. This means that the party that wins the state’s popular vote sends all of their electors to cast votes to elect the president. But there are two states-- Nebraska and Maine-- who divide up their electoral votes based on who won the popular vote in each congressional district.

** Why does America have an electoral college?**
Back in 1787, the founding fathers met in Philadelphia at the constitutional convention to figure out the major laws for how the U.S. government was going to run. And out of that came the constitution. One of the most hotly contested topics was how we elect our president. On the one hand you had the Federalists who thought congress should elect the president, and on the other you had those who thought the president should be elected by popular vote. But both were a little problematic. If Congress elected the president then congress would have way too much power and things could get corrupt real fast. But if it was left up to purely popular vote, there was a fear about what would happen-- considering there was a lot of people that couldn’t read or write and were uneducated. So the electoral college was their big compromise.

**Arguments for getting rid of the electoral college**
Many critics argue that the electoral college is outdated and doesn’t accurately represent the voice of the people. It’s the reason why people say votes in more populated states count less. People also argue that the electoral college gives way too much power to people who live in swing states, and that the electoral college makes it harder for third party candidates to win a presidential election.

SELECTED SOURCES:
What is the electoral college? (National Archives and Records Administration)

Opinion: A Case for the Electoral College (New York Times)
If Electoral Votes Were Weighted by State Population Alone: Trump 303, Clinton 235 (270towin)

Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote (National Popular Vote)

FOR EDUCATORS

About KQED
KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, Radio, and web media. Funding for Above the Noise is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Silver Giving Foundation, Stuart Foundation, and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

[AboveTheNoise]

But we’re not really interested in debating whether America is a democracy-- it’s not really the point of the video. Instead, we’re more interested in all of your thoughts on the value of the electoral college in America. We’ve tried to point out the main pros and cons of the system, but there’s only so much you can cover in a short video. So if you want more information we definitely encourage you to check out some of the sources we listed in the description as well as do some of your own research, and please share your thoughts on the electoral college with us. Bonus points for citing sources in your comments! Thanks y’all!!

[Delta]

"aren't we all a little more informed now?"
*Takes a quick look at the people on the internet* "No"

[petersurdo]

A lady asked Benjamin Franklin, "What type of government did you give us?" He replied, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

[zanel]

Good thing we never had a democracy in the first place😂

[ryebrez]

I’m a New Yorker and I def don’t want people here deciding who’s president

[TrekkieBrie]

I've never seen someone age so quickly by putting on glasses and a sweater haha. The voice probably helped too.

[tomtraviss]

We need th electoral college. No real American wants Ca. And N.Y deciding the country’s future.

[GML_.]

The American people are represented by their elected officials, locally, statewide and on a federal level. We vote through our representatives and state, this ensures that all states get representation. I certainly wouldn’t want a scenario where the federal government is controlling presidential elections. Hard pass

[NateCooperino]

"Plus, aren't we all a little more informed these days?" HA.

[urbanvampyre]

The electoral college is ALL about States. We are a Union of States with independent governments. The President of this Union is not elected by the people directly but rather by the several States of said Union. This ensures that States remain on equal standing within the Union (in respect to the population) instead of the States being relegated to nothing more than counties.

[balderdash]

There is nothing that said a slave was 3/5ths of a person. The compromise was that only 3/5ths of the slaves could be counted for representation otherwise things would have tilted strongly to slave owning states. The South wanted all the slaves to be counted for representation without giving slaves any of the rights of representation. So the compromise was 3/5ths of the slave population was counted.

[francoisrd]

So keeping it means only swing states get candidates’ attention, but abolishing it means only big cities get candidates’ attention. Either way, someone gets ignored

[robertchartier]

Thank you. Far too many people approach this subject from either a "we must abolish it" or "no, we must keep it" point of view. Thanks for trying to give a well rounded, non-partisan view of the issue

[klasi]

Beautifully and clearly explained concept. Best explanation I have found on YouTube so far. Thank you.

[williamfris]

We are a republic not a democracy. end of lesson

[BenjaminKeller]

The problem is not the electoral college but the winner takes it all system in most states.

[nickgoesvestmode]

We actually need the electoral college now more than ever.

[stonetrooper]

I tuned in thinking this would be an unbiased video even though it’s sponsored by PBS but I was wrong. We live in a Republic. Not a democracy.

[nibrocnoel]

There is no good answer. Without the electoral college, 10 states can decide the election. With the electoral college, individuals are not perfectly represented. Currently, Presidents can be elected without the popular vote, but they have to pay mind to the fly over states. Without the EC, candidates will not spend time with the fly over states. Those states grow a large % of our domestic grains and raise cattle. The million dollar question is "how do we fix the election process with causing more damage"? So that the rural farmers, as well as every individual from the most populated areas both have adequate representation.

[ryleegalle]

My teacher assigned this to the class☠️ hey