Elimination
Probably one of the most popular options out there is to get rid of the Electoral College all together, to make the election of the President rely solely on the popular vote. This is a pretty straight forward option, no more delegates, no more Electoral College, it would all be in the hands of the voters.
Minority WinsMost of us know about the controversy that surrounded the 2000 election between Former President Bush and Al Gore. Bush had 47.8% of the popular vote while Gore had 48.3%. Despite Al Gore winning the popular vote Bush won the Electoral College with 271 votes while his opponent only had 266.
This isn't the first time in American history that this has happened either. It has actually three other times, in 1824, 1876 and 1888. All three times the candidate who won the popular vote lost the election because of the Electoral College. |
NYU Politics Professor Steven Bram's Take on Elimination |
My Take
This is by far my favorite option. Part of the Electoral College's creation was to protect the presidential election from the uneducated. By doing that they created an almost elitist mentality which has haunted us all the way into the new millennium. Keeping the Electoral College makes me feel like I'm not trusted to make my own decisions based on my personal beliefs and values. Abolishing the Electoral College would make me feel like I was actually helping to make the choice of who leads the country instead of feeling as if I'm being treated like a child who wants an apple but my parents decide to give a orange instead because 'they know better.'