A Simple Way to Fix the Electoral College That No One is Talking About
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The Electoral College was front and center in the 2016 Presidential election. Republican Donald Trump, who received less votes than Democrat Hillary Clinton, would triumph in the Electoral College and thus won the Presidency. That’s not news to anyone.
The same thing happened in 2000 as well, and so calls to abolish the Electoral College have never been louder. Proponents of the current system say it’s a safeguard to ensure smaller, less populous states get a voice in Presidential elections. Critics will argue it was only implemented by the framers because they feared direct elections and the system has run its course for being useful.
Regardless of where anyone stands on the issue, one thing is clear- the Electoral College was included in the Constitution, so reforming it or removing it would require a Constitutional amendment. There’s no getting around that. And given the division surrounding it, that’s not likely to happen.
But what if there was a way to reform the Electoral College that would be favorably viewed by everyone? Can such a compromise exist? The talking heads sure don’t seem to think so as one idea that seems so simple has yet to gain any kind of traction.
And yet, both sides of the debate would readily accept this compromise as a way to improve the electoral process. So what is it?
For clarity, we need only look at the electoral process for Congress. If you passed high school civics class, then you recall that Congress is comprised of two chambers- the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House represents the people while the Senate represents the States. Because of this, Representatives are elected directly by the people wherever they live in the country while every State elects two Senators.
This system works well as a way of checks and balances. Each chamber has its role and function, but legislation must be passed in both chambers in order to become law. In essence, Congress equally represents the people and the States.
Why doesn’t our Executive Branch of government do the same? Perhaps it’s time to make this change.
Here’s how it would work:
