Electoral college: Is it past its primary?

Presidential primaries are in season, centering the general election’s electoral college in voters’ sights. The complaint: One-party dominated states such as Idaho fade in campaign neglect, compared to “swing vote” battlegrounds where candidates must focus to win. Plus, as recent, close elections illustrate, electoral vote tallies don’t reflect an evenly split nation.

Is this an effective, and reflective, way to elect a president, or does it make “one man, one vote” a mockery?

What is it?

The electoral college process results from the Founding Fathers’ Constitutional compromise in Article II between electing a president by vote of Congress vs. qualified citizens (i.e., landed, white males). True, the founders didn’t trust the uninformed masses, but there is also modern logic to this. In some nations, for example, the party with the most popular votes for other offices picks its leader, and he or she becomes the president or prime minister, the unifying leader of the winning party and its policies for the next term. More tends to get done that way, but generally with one political viewpoint.

The elector concept comes from the Roman Empire. In Latin, “college” (collegium) refers to a body of persons who act as a unit. Our college has 538 electors; each state has the same number as its Members of Congress (four in Idaho). A majority — 270 — nets a win. State law determines how they vote, although 48 states including Idaho are “winner take all” — the candidate with the most popular votes gets all the electoral votes. Others allow proportional voting.

Who are electors?

State law determines this, but generally they’re party and candidate-selected. So when you vote for president, you’re also voting for that candidate’s electors. In election year Decembers, they meet to officially cast their votes, even though it’s a formality by then. Results go to Congress and the National Archives for recordkeeping. Finally, in January a joint session of Congress conducts an official tally and a president is declared.

How could we change it?

Amending the Constitution is arduous. Either (1) Congress would propose an amendment by a joint resolution, then pass it by a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate; or (2) two thirds of state legislatures would call a constitutional convention. So far, not one of the 27 existing Amendments has been proposed by convention. The president has no constitutional role in the process. With either option, three fourths of states would then have to ratify the amendment.

A movement to work around this process is gaining momentum. Eleven states, including Washington, have legislatively joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). They’ve committed to give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, if and only if enough states pass it into law so NPVIC states control over 50 percent of electoral votes. So it only kicks in if it would make a difference. Sort of an end-run contract around the electoral college process, without formally eliminating it. So far they’re up to 165 electoral votes, putting them more than halfway to their goal.

Should we dump it?

On one hand as we’ve seen, a close popular vote isn’t necessarily reflected in the college.

Individual voters are dwarfed in party shadows and heavily “red” and “blue” states have less influence. Does that make it undemocratic or unrepresentative? Perhaps; the current electoral system better reflects (and empowers) political parties than it does Jane Citizen.

On the other hand, a direct vote — while it feels more honest — also has disadvantages. Think urban vs. rural. More populated urban areas, bigger cities and the states containing them, would weigh more heavily than sparser, less populated areas and states.

Another question is participation. Will making votes count more directly erode voter apathy? Would changing entice more people to vote? Consider the rotten turnout for most other elections by popular votes. Will eligible non-voters care more about local and state elections, which tend to affect their daily lives more, if they know their chief executive better reflects their choice?

Maybe the spotlight will help. For more information on the electoral college see Archives.gov.

Happy Super Tuesday.

Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.