The 2016 US election was one of the most controversial elections in modern American history. The two candidates, Trump and Clinton, were perhaps the most unpopular candidates that American politics has ever seen.
Trump’s win, despite Hillary winning the majority votes, didn’t exactly go down well with the millions of American’s who didn’t vote for him. It was the second time the Democrats have suffered at the hand of the electoral college system. The first time being Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush, despite (like Hillary) him winning the majority vote.
The election between Al Gore and George W. Bush definitely brought some light to the flaws of America’s voting system, but the 2016 election had a much wilder reaction as emotions ran high.
Many people, Democrats and Republicans alike, are now questioning the purpose and legitimacy of the American voting system. The Electoral College may date back to the 18th century, but quite frankly, it’s not surprising that people are now questioning the whole system.
After all, isn’t it a government for the people, by the people? So, why aren’t the people in whole deciding? Why isn’t the popular vote rather than the Electoral College deciding our president? Well, for starters – it’s complicated.
How does the Electoral College work?
The process used in America to elect a President is called the electoral college. The idea behind it is that the President is decided by both the popular vote and a vote in Congress.
Everyone qualified to vote can do so, but ultimately, it’s the overall state vote that matters.
Each state has electors, who are decided before the general election by their parties. The number of electors each state gets is the same as the number of representatives (Congressmen and Senators) that they have in the House of Representatives. The number of representatives is determined by the size of the state’s population, and so the number of electors each state has is also dependent on the state’s population.
You’re now probably wondering why the number of electors matters so much. It matters because for a President to be elected, they need at least 271 of 538 electoral votes, otherwise the House of Representatives decide the winner.
So to put it simply, the biggest states have the most impact on the vote (which is why Trump focused his campaigns at the more populated states like Texas and Florida).
How it Started
Back in 1787, the Constitutional Convention – a group of delegates that met to discuss the flaws of the central government, considered several methods of choosing the next president.
Should the Congress select the next president? The state governors? Or should it be a direct popular election?
These were all options considered, but finally the matter was handled with a method called the ‘electoral college.’ It was widely approved by the delegates and political leaders. Therefore, after adding the system to the Constitution, each state was given a number of electors due to the combined membership of the Senate.
How it’s changed
The voting system has been modified a bit over the centuries. Originally, states chose electors equal in number to the representatives and the senators. The electors voted for two candidates, and the person with the majority of votes became President. The runner-up became Vice President.
So, essentially – there was no clear presidential or vice-presidential candidate.
Today, to become president – the candidate has to win an absolute majority of 270 electoral votes. Now, if neither candidate receives enough delegates, the House of Representatives will decide the winner from the top 3 candidates with the most electoral votes. Presently, the number of electors per state ranges from three to 54, giving a total of 538. But again, you can see how the bigger states have the most say.
Misinterpretation of Democracy
Protests and general uproar have accompanied an increased lack of faith in America’s voting system. People have begun questioning how a system that allows the most unpopular candidate to become President can be called a democracy.
So is it fair? Well, it depends. We have been attached to the idea that ‘we the people’ are deciding our own president, but it’s more of an indirect voting.
Many Americans believed they were voting directly for the candidate of their choice. But, technically – it’s the representatives of their local government that will actually decide for them. Voters in Broward County may cast the majority of ballots for Hillary Clinton, but the elector can decide to vote for Donald Trump instead.
When you think of democracy you probably think of the people electing parties and Presidents based on what the majority want. But the thing to remember is that we also misinterpret the country as a democracy. America isn’t a democracy, it’s a republic. The general public may refer to it as a democracy but even the constitution declares the nation a ‘republic for which we stand.’
It may not be exactly democratic, but the electoral college has its advantages
So, besides the fact that the U.S. is a Republic – why can’t they use the popular vote to decide the president? To put it simply – there would be chaos without the electoral college.
The system may cause controversy around democracy, but it actually plays an important part in the stability of the country. If the voting system worked in a way where Presidents were decided purely by popular vote, the chances are that a whole load of people would run for President.
For instance, in the recent election, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 48%. The other 52% belonged to Donald Trump and third party candidates. If we merely chose a president because of the popular vote, we would be swamped with candidates. The electoral college encourages a system of two parties, making it a simple choice, and a choice that will always please a large amount of people, whether they are the majority or not.
For those who are upset with the outcomes of the recent presidential election, or even the Al Gore vs George W. Bush, you have to understand the chaos that would erupt from getting rid of the electoral college. It may not be the best system, but it’s the system left to America by its Founding Fathers. Over the next century, perhaps the voting system will be modified but it’s going to be a long time before we get rid of the age-old system.
I live in the UK, in the country’s most uneventful city, where the most interesting story in the local paper is about banning dressing gowns in supermarkets.
I travel and I write, because surely there are more interesting stories than that to write about and share.