MSNBC
Final polling numbers from the 2016 election
The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors with a requirement of 270 electoral votes that select a new president. Electoral voters or the state’s “slate” are elected by each of the state’s political parties running in the election. The Electoral College was essentially a compromise between the Founding Fathers who wanted Congress to solely decide the president and the Fathers who wanted a total popular vote to decide. A push for a popular vote to rule has made its efforts since the 1960s. According to a study done by The Public Religion Research Institute found that only 32% of Americans supported the Electoral College in 2018.
While a popular vote would be difficult to recount and tally, it allows the presidential election power to fall on Americans. The popular vote would eliminate the need for an electoral election process on January 6, making the transition from incumbent presidents to elected ones faster.
There have been three amendments added to The Constitution pertaining to the Electoral College. The 12 Amendment required electoral voters to vote for both Vice President and President, the 20 Amendment put a time limit on voting, and the 23 Amendment gifted three electors to the District of Columbia.
In the 2016 election, seven electoral voters went against their party and voted for other candidates. After that, 33 states and D.C. have implemented laws that require these elected voters to vote for their pledged party. Even the Supreme Court ruled that states can require the slate to maintain their party vote. New Mexico can charge an elector with a felony for voting against their party.
As a compromise for the Founding Fathers, the Electoral College proved to be a great solution. Now that the country has increased in population and ideologies, this process is not viable for a growing nation. It is even more constricting when the electors are forced to vote for their party. As elections continue to get more polarized, this tedious and restricting process will anger more Americans as the popular vote becomes seemingly less important.
Alabama has nine electoral votes, and all nine pledged
to vote for Donald Trump and Mike Pence in the 2016 election despite having only 63% of the popular vote go to the Republicans.
While that difference is drastic, many political experts would agree that the Electoral College is not dissolving
any time soon. This allows for discouraged voters in November, but as a nation, we still have to remember that voting is important, and educated voting is crucial.
For more information or to register to vote, go to alabama.gov.