Slow Death for the Electoral College

by Ali-Asad

Barack Obama won the 2008 election by securing 53% of the total popular vote and 67% of the electoral college votes. Historically, the electoral college has never accurately represented the popular vote. For some, this makes no sense - they'd like the electoral college to be abolished. Interestingly, the present electoral college system is not mandated by the constitution. Rather, it has become entrenched in tradition. But now states are taking actions to effectively end the electoral college system and move towards a direct election where the winner of the total number of votes would become President. Until recently it was thought that only a constitutional amendment would be able to end the electoral college system. But a new method has been developed to move towards a direct-electing system without a constitutional amendment.


The second article of the constitution allows state legislatures to decide how they will allocate their electoral votes. Professors and politicians from all points of view have endorsed a sweeping new law - the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This law, proposed in each state, would amend state law so that a state would give its electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote rather then the statewide vote. This law would come into effect when the electoral votes of states passing the law would exceed 270 votes. Already 4 states (Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii and Maryland) have passed this legislation - they represent 50 electoral votes. When more states adopt this law, as seems likely, and the 270 vote threshold is reached, the US will effectively shift away from the current electoral college system towards having a directly elected president where each vote is equally weighted. Will this change be a good thing? Who knows...but it's a change that's coming.

And that's jus' the tip.