It is clear why most people in less-populated states want to keep the electoral college. Each vote in these states counts more than a vote in more densely populated states. The justification is protecting the minority from the “tyranny of the majority.”
Though I disagree with the inverse, “tyranny of the minority,” it is unlikely that the electoral college will go away. It would take a two-thirds vote in Congress to change the Constitution and make all Americans’ votes count equally. But a compromise seems reasonable.
All states should at least be required to distribute electoral votes based on the percentage of votes received in that state. This way, less populated states still maintain their electoral advantage without giving all the votes to one candidate. Having a vote in one state count three times more than a vote in another state is one thing, but taking a vote from one candidate and outright giving it to the other candidate in the same state is undemocratic and unpatriotic to say the least. There are countries that reach in to the ballot box and change the votes after they are cast, but we should not be one of them.
— Griff Steiner, Jr.
Anchorage
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