Written by Shaina Hall
The Electoral College has officially solidified America’s choice of Joe Biden as the 46th President-Elect of the United States. While this is great news for us, we have known for a while that President-Elect Biden won the popular vote. So, why do we continue to rely on this antiquated system to solidify the results?
We think it’s time to abolish the Electoral College.
The origins of the Electoral College are steeped in racism. Southern states, which held 93% of the country’s slave population, found themselves at a major disadvantage within a popular voting system. As a result, the three-fifths compromise was born, boosting the south’s congressional delegation by 42%. The increased delegates used the three-fifths compromise as the foundation for the system we now use in choosing our president. More than two centuries later, the Electoral College continues to empower southern white voters while submerging black votes. Even though black voters make up much of the southern population, their preferred presidential candidate is almost assured to lose their home states’ electoral votes.
Throughout our election history, five presidential candidates have won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College. Two of them have been our last three presidents! We all remember the 2016 election and watching as Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by three million and still lost because of the Electoral College. President-elect Biden won the popular vote by more than 5 million and won almost the same number of electoral votes. A record, historic number of Americans voted, in the midst of a pandemic. A surge of young voters turned out around the country, many for the first time. If every vote counts, why aren’t we valuing every vote equally?
It’s time to protect the votes of all Americans. We implore you to join us in the movement to protect and strengthen our democracy. Add your name: it’s time to abolish the electoral college.
