General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: End around the electoral college [View all]davidn3600
(6,342 posts)The reality is, there has only been 4 elections where the winner of the electoral vote didnt equal the winner of the popular vote (1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000). And that 2000 election was disputed.
This really isn't that big of a problem.
When you make a massive change like this, you better be right. Because there is a very delicate balance with how this country elects it's leaders. And if you mess this up, you could potentially crash the country. There could be many implications that you have not considered.
The reason our founders put this system in place was for 3 reasons:
1. They thought the average voter is dumb and uninformed. And I don't disagree with that. I feel most of the population is stupid. 2/3rds of the country can't name a single Supreme Court Justice. Go show Joe Biden's picture on the street and half the people will have no clue who he is. Most people don't know their senator or representative. How many know their state senator?
2. They wanted to make sure every state and its issues are properly represented.
3. It's supposed to be part of the checks and balance system between the states and the federal government.
If we elect the president only by the popular vote...candidates will only campaign in large cities, in the states with the highest population. Florida, California, Texas, and New York will receive the majority of attention every single election.