Is the System Broken Enough?

The Electoral College is broken, but is it broken enough?

The trouble with the electoral college system is not that it is broken, but that it is not broken enough. There have been 58 presidential elections. In 5 of those elections, the popular vote did not match the results of the electoral college. Here is the kicker, as long as the Republican Party has existed, this particular quirk of our constitution has favored that party.

In 1876, 1888, 2000, and in 2016 the Republican candidate won despite having lost the popular vote. If I were a Republican, I would not regard the Electoral College as broken, but rather as a feature of the republic which serves as a powerful brake on dangerous progressive policies. In fact, I feel a certain sympathy for the idea that as a progressive I need to make the effort to communicate with and engage the rural and conservative portion of the electorate. Progressives need to bring everyone along, or at least as many as possible. We do this or find ourselves in the same position of forcing our own views on the world that I find so distasteful in other polities. We can choose to view this in the same way that I now regard the Senate requirement of a 60 vote super majority with renewed reverence.

If you are not convinced, then good. The damn system is broken and needs to be replaced! Still, it is not enough that those on the Left consider the system broken. 38 states are needed to ratify an amendment. From the last election, I count 20 Blue states. Conservatives will need to feel the same if we are to muster the support for the necessary constitutional amendment to get rid of the Electoral College. The key may be faithless electors. The presidential election at that point is just a toss up based on who shows up to the state capital when the elector cast their votes. Perhaps that situation will be sufficiently broken to get change rolling.

posted by Y.H.N.