Eleanor Finch
The Electoral College has been a topic of debate in the United States for decades, with many calling for its abolition or reform. Established by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and popular vote, the Electoral College has faced criticism for being undemocratic and favouring smaller states. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to amend the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College, with the closest being during the 91st Congress (1969-1971) following the contentious 1968 presidential election. While the House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment, the proposal ultimately failed in the Senate. More recently, in 2024, three Democratic Senators proposed a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the Electoral College, indicating that the movement to eliminate it continues to gain support.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of proposals to abolish the Electoral College | Over 700 |
| Number of proposals to modify the Electoral College | Over 700 |
| Percentage of Americans who wanted a direct popular vote in 2019 | 53% |
| Percentage of Americans who wanted to keep the Electoral College in 2019 | 43% |
| Percentage of Democratic respondents supporting abolition in 2000 | 73% |
| Percentage of Republican respondents supporting abolition in 2000 | 46% |
| Percentage of lawyers favoring abolition in 1987 | 69% |
| Percentage of Americans favoring abolition in 1967 | 58% |
| Percentage of Americans favoring abolition in 1968 | 81% |
| Percentage of Americans favoring abolition in 1981 | 75% |
| Year of closest attempt to abolish the Electoral College | 1969 |
| Minimum percentage of votes required in the House and Senate to abolish the Electoral College | 66.67% |
| Minimum number of states required to abolish the Electoral College | 38 |
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What You'll Learn
The Electoral College is undemocratic and outdated
The Electoral College is a system that was established by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The College has been criticised as being undemocratic and outdated, with calls for its abolition or reform.
The College has been criticised as undemocratic because it can result in a candidate winning the election despite losing the popular vote. This has happened twice in the last five presidential elections, and on several other occasions throughout history. For example, in 1968, Richard Nixon won the election with 301 electoral votes, despite receiving only 43% of the popular vote. In 1824, none of the candidates received a majority of Electoral College votes, and the election was thrown to the House of Representatives.
The Electoral College is also criticised as outdated because it was established over two hundred years ago, and the process has changed little since. In that time, there have been over 700 proposals to reform or eliminate the College, with many arguing that it is archaic and ambiguous. The College can also distort the popular will, as electors are not bound to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state, and there are no legal repercussions if they do not.
The College's defenders argue that abolishing it would reduce the political influence of smaller states. However, the fact that there have been so many attempts to abolish or reform the College suggests that it is outdated and no longer fit for purpose. The American Bar Association criticised the College as "archaic" and "ambiguous" in 1987, and a Gallup survey that year found that 69% of lawyers and 75% of the public favoured abolishing it.
A constitutional amendment is necessary to eliminate the Electoral College, as it is constitutionally mandated. While the College has been changed by constitutional amendments in the past, abolishing it would require significant consensus, with at least two-thirds affirmation from both the House and the Senate, and approval from at least 38 out of 50 states.
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The popular vote should determine the President
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. However, the popular vote should determine the President, and here's why.
Firstly, the Electoral College is outdated and flawed, and it undermines the democratic principle of majority rule. In five presidential elections, the winner did not receive the most votes, and two of those instances occurred in the last 25 years. This means that the candidate preferred by the majority of voters did not win, and instead, a handful of states determined the leader for all 50 states, regardless of each candidate's final vote tally. For example, in the 1968 presidential election, Richard Nixon won 301 votes in the Electoral College, but he received just 43% of the popular vote.
Secondly, the Electoral College has led to a situation where the winner of the most popular votes can still lose the election. This is because the Electoral College system gives each state electors equal to its representation in Congress, and these electors cast their votes for President and Vice President in separate ballots. This can result in a situation where no candidate receives a majority of Electoral College votes, and the election is thrown to the House of Representatives.
Thirdly, abolishing the Electoral College would increase the influence of voters in small states and ensure that every voter in every state has an equal say in the election. Currently, the Electoral College reduces the political influence of small states, as their electors can be outvoted by those from larger states.
Finally, amending the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College and move to a direct popular vote would address the concerns of Americans who feel that the current system is unfair and outdated. Polls have shown that a majority of Americans prefer direct elections through a popular vote over the Electoral College system. Additionally, over 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College, demonstrating widespread support for change.
In conclusion, amending the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College and allow the popular vote to determine the President is necessary to uphold the democratic ideal of majority rule, ensure equal representation for all voters, and address the concerns of Americans who feel that the current system is flawed and outdated.
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Constitutional amendment requirements
The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but it is mandated by it, and it can only be abolished by amending the Constitution.
Amending the US Constitution is a laborious process. A constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College would require significant consensus, with at least two-thirds affirmation from both the House and the Senate, and approval from at least 38 out of 50 states. This is because the Electoral College system is part of the original design of the US Constitution.
There have been many attempts to abolish the Electoral College, with over 700 proposals introduced in Congress over the last two centuries. The closest the US has come to abolishing it was during the 91st Congress (1969-1971), when the House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment to eliminate the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President using the results of the national popular vote. This followed the contentious 1968 presidential election, in which Richard Nixon won 301 electoral votes (56% of electors), but only 43% of the popular vote.
In 1979, another Senate vote to establish a direct popular vote failed by just three votes. The 95th Congress proposed 41 relevant amendments in 1977 and 1978, and the 116th Congress introduced three amendments to end the Electoral College. In 2005 and 2009, US Representative Gene Green (D-Texas) introduced similar legislation, with two similar joint resolutions introduced by US Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Illinois) and Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida). On November 15, 2016, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced a proposal to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct popular election of the President and Vice President by the voters in the various states and the District of Columbia.
Public opinion polls have shown majority support for abolishing the Electoral College, with 58% in favour in 1967, 81% in 1968, and 75% in 1981. A Gallup survey in 2000 reported that 73% of Democratic respondents supported a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College, while only 46% of Republican respondents supported it.
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Previous attempts to abolish the Electoral College
There have been over 700 proposals to either eradicate or modify the Electoral College in the last two centuries. The fight to reform or abolish the Electoral College began almost as soon as it was created. In 1802, Alexander Hamilton, one of the original architects of the Electoral College, helped draft a constitutional amendment to fix it.
The closest the country has come to abolishing the Electoral College was in 1969, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted 338-70 to send a constitutional amendment to the Senate that would have dismantled the Electoral College. However, the Senate bill was filibustered by Southern lawmakers, and the Senate fell five votes short of breaking the filibuster.
Congress has nearly reached this threshold on several other occasions. In 1934, the abolition of the Electoral College fell just two Senate votes short of passage. In 1979, another Senate vote to establish a direct popular vote failed by just three votes. The 95th Congress proposed 41 relevant amendments in 1977 and 1978, and the 116th Congress has introduced three amendments to end the Electoral College.
In recent years, there have been several proposals to abolish the Electoral College. In 2005 and 2009, Representative Gene Green (D-Texas) introduced the Every Vote Counts Amendment, a joint resolution to amend the Constitution to provide for the popular election of the president and vice president. In 2016, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced a proposal to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct popular election of the President and Vice President. In 2017, Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) introduced a companion resolution in the House of Representatives. On December 16, 2024, Democratic Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) proposed a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the Electoral College.
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Public opinion on abolishing the Electoral College
The Electoral College has been the subject of much debate, with many Americans questioning whether it should be abolished or changed. Over the past two centuries, there have been over 700 proposals to either eradicate or significantly modify it. However, none of these proposals have become law due to the Electoral College being constitutionally mandated.
Public opinion on this issue has shifted over time and also varies according to political affiliation. Between 1967 and 1980, majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and independents favored amending the Constitution to "do away with the Electoral College". More recently, however, there has been a partisan divide, with Democrats favoring abolition and Republicans opposing it.
A 2019 poll by POLITICO and Morning Consult found that 50% of respondents wanted a direct popular vote, 34% did not, and 16% had no preference. Another poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal around the same time reported that 53% of Americans wanted a direct popular vote, while 43% wanted to keep the Electoral College.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2024 found that more than six in ten Americans (63%) would prefer the winner of the presidential election to be the person who wins the most votes nationally, while around a third (35%) favor retaining the Electoral College system. This survey also highlighted partisan differences, with 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents favoring a popular vote system, compared to 53% of Republicans and Republican leaners.
The divergence in opinion between Republicans and Democrats has become more pronounced since 2016, when Donald Trump won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. This outcome influenced Democrats to become more supportive and Republicans less supportive of moving to a popular vote system.
In summary, while there is no unanimous consensus, a majority of Americans, particularly Democrats and independents, favor abolishing the Electoral College and replacing it with a direct popular vote system. Republicans are more divided on the issue, with just under half supporting the change.
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Frequently asked questions
The Electoral College is a process for electing the President of the United States. It was established by the Founding Fathers as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
There have been over 700 proposals to abolish or modify the Electoral College in the last 200 years. The Electoral College has been criticised as "archaic" and "ambiguous" and polls have shown that more voters are preferring direct elections through a popular vote. In two of the last five presidential elections, the candidate who won the popular vote lost the Electoral College.
To eliminate the Electoral College, a Constitutional amendment would be required as the Electoral College process is part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution. This would need significant consensus, with at least two-thirds affirmation from both the House and the Senate, and approval from at least 38 out of 50 states.
