Hi Oliver. I completely agree that the electoral college should be reformed, if not eliminated. However, it is pretty unlikely that will actually happen. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact that you mentioned is definitely interesting to hear about. It wouldn’t even need to go through Congress. However, that brings up the issue of faithless electors. Some states have laws that punish faithless electors. Do you think that this could turn away states that have these laws from the compact?

Hi Oliver. Seeing how our nation has become more politicized with this election and its surrounding events, knowing about how the electoral college works, and how to deal with it, is critical knowledge. In my government class, my peers have debated on the issue, mainly favoring abolition or reform, while some see it as an okay institution. Personally, and as you pointed out, reform is near impossible, so it is better to have the states themselves change, rather than the nation as a whole.

Hello Oliver,
If you’re interested in learning some Electoral college reforms, check out the Election of 1876. I strongly believe that the electoral college can be reformed. I mean, how the Union went about Emancipating the slaves was highly illegal but was morally right in the end, as well as the restricting of certain rights in liberties during this pandemic such as gatherings. So in the end, the hard truth is not there is nothing truly stopping something from being changed in the American system of government. However, the bigger question isn’t could the Electoral College be reformed/ abolished, rather SHOULD it? In order to fully understand the problem, which is that the electoral college mostly stayed around in order to advance the political power of slave states. Legislation, such as the 3/5 Compromise aimed to give southern states more electoral votes. The biggest problem, well at least for me, is that it inadvertently disenfranchises voters. Take for instance California, which is overwhelmingly democrat and a blue state. If you were to vote any other way, your vote would be rendered useless under the Electoral College, as that states’ electoral votes would simply go to a democrat candidate. However, with a popular vote, your vote in a one-party state would have some value.