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1 results

  • 3 - The Electoral College and Political Equality

  • George C. Edwards III, Texas A & M University
  • Book:
    Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America
    Published online:
    09 November 2023
    Print publication:
    23 November 2023, pp 45-78

  • Summary

    The electoral college violates political equality. It is not a neutral counting device. The use of the unit-vote system, the allocation of electoral votes among the states, differences in voter turnout among the states, and the vagaries of the size of the U.S. House of Representatives allow the electoral college to favor some citizens over others, depending solely upon the state in which voters cast their votes for president. As a result, popular votes do not directly translate into electoral votes, and the candidate receiving the most popular votes may lose the election, as has happened twice in the twenty-first century. Thus, the electoral college is not just an archaic mechanism for counting the votes. It is an institution that aggregates popular votes in an inherently unjust manner. In addition, electors may violate their oaths to support their party’s candidates, and many U.S. citizens are disenfranchised.