Those who allege they cling closely to “founders’ intent” seem to overlook how the electoral college operates. Nothing could be further from the founders’ intent than the way the electoral vote is determined.
Founders’ intent was for each state to select men of character, men who put country before self and state interests, in casting their votes. They would not be pledged to any candidate nor any party. Parties, of course, did not exist at the time, and were considered to be an evil by more than one founding father, George Washington chief among them. But it wasn’t long before they arose. And did just what the founders feared.
That there were electors in the first place arose for a variety of reasons, but two of them were (1) more than one founder feared rank and file voters determining who was selected as president and vice president (Benjamin Franklin being one of the main ones) and (2) the slave states, having gouged out additional representation in Congress using the 3/5 rule, could not figure out a way to increase their clout in selecting a president any other way.
The founders also feared the direct election of Senators. But we threw that away, too, led by the efforts of practitioners of “yellow journalism.” We threw that on the ash heap by constitutional amendment. William Randolph Hearst, a major player in “yellow journalism,” hired a guy to write The Treason of the Senate, a mostly fictionalized account of how the Senate operated. Filled with “alternative facts,” it roused the public to support the 17th amendment providing for direct election of senators, and it was ratified in 1913. Whether it helped or hurt is extremely debatable. I think a skilled debater could easily win taking the “it hurt” position, even against an equally skilled debater.
Under the current system of electoral vote, there is no reason to have people named as electors. Electors are pledged by party, and faithless electors vote otherwise at their own peril. So it happens seldom. There are three solutions to this corruption of founders’ intent:
1. Return to the founders’ intent.
2. Abolish the electoral college and elect presidents by popular vote (which more than one founder favored at the time, Alexander Hamilton being chief among them).
3. Allocate electoral votes in each state based on percentage of popular vote in each state. This would almost have same effect as popular vote, but would give a little more (but not very significantly more) clout to smaller states. For example, the least populous state, Wyoming, has .17% of the population but .55% of the electoral vote. It triples their influence, but it’s still well below 1 percent. California has 11.7% of the population and 10.2% of the electoral vote. Watered down, but not much.
There are major issues with all three, of course, people being what they are. While it would require a constitutional amendment, choice 2 would offer the most permanent solution. Choice 1 stands NO chance. It lasted only a few years after the founding. Choice 3 stands little chance of being implemented in all states. States can change how they allocate electoral votes now, and two (Nebraska and Maine) do not allocate on a winner take all basis. But even if all states, or even most states, did it, it likely would not last.
As hard and fraught is it would be, the best shot is choice 2.
One reason frequently given in support of the electoral college is it allegedly ensures candidates will have to campaign in all states. That might have been true if we had stuck with founders’ intent, but nowadays the election is determined by “swing states” voting. There is no reason for any candidate for president to campaign in Mississippi for any other reason than fund raising. Everybody knows Mississippi’s electoral votes belong to the Republican Party candidate. This is true in most states for one party or the other.
Another major reason is it gives smaller states more clout. Yes, it does, but their clout is still miniscule.
A third major reason is it, allegedly, can preclude calls for recounts or challenges to the results. How’s that working out???
Abolish the electoral college. It is a farce, and a gross perversion of founders’ intent.
Glynn Kegley is a Rankin County southsider. He is the owner and sole employee of a think tank. Sometimes he sits and thinks, and sometimes he just sits.
