Right now one vote in Wyoming in a presidential election is worth more than three votes in California (Borzellino). This is not only the case for these two states. Texas, New York, Florida, and countless others are also suffering from under-representation in the electoral college. The electoral college has been a controversial issue ever since its creation in 1787. Some argued that a national popular vote would help give the politicians supported by the people power, while others feared that this could lead to a monarchy through lobbyists (Guelzo, p.2). Furthermore, since 1787, many things have changed that outdate the electoral college. This is why it is important that the United States continue to update the electoral college so that the ratio of population to electors for each state is equal.

Since the population of each state is constantly changing, this means that the electoral college must also be changing to accurately represent what the majority of the people want. Voters who are underrepresented like Joe Borzellino, a voter in California, are concerned that “It causes candidates to focus only on the swing states and ignore states that they will win automatically, so they cater to the values and issues of swing state voters”. With an equal representation of all states in the electoral college, the needs and concerns of the majority of each state will likely be reached by politicians.

As a  result of the unequal distribution of electors,  presidential elections are favoring the Republican Party over the Democratic Party. This is unfair to Democrats, who feel as though their votes are being thrown away, like the 2016 and 2000 presidential elections when the winner of the popular vote, the majority of the voters in the United States, did not win the overall election because of the electoral college. If immediate action is not done to fix this problem, only the interests of Republican voters will be enacted, which will not be supported by a majority of the people that it will affect. I agree that this dilema needs to be fixed soon and before it gets worse, similar to New York Times opinionist Jamelle Bouie, who argues that the national popular vote is the best fix to the inequality. However, I disagree with his solution. Conservative states that have electors needed for the national popular vote will not be inclined to sign onto the bill that does not benefit their choice of presidential candidate. However, if the electoral college is equal, it will positively affect both Republican and Democrat states. For example, not only voters in California are being underrepresented. A vote in Texas, a state that mainly goes for the GOP in presidential elections, is worth one third that a vote is worth in Wyoming, similar to California (Borzellino). Republicans may be more interested to keep the electoral college and make it equal and updated if it positively affects states that support the causes that they favor.

Some defenders of the current electoral college argue that the founding fathers poured time into the electoral college, making it the best solution (Guelzo, p.2). In addition, I have heard it argued that a national popular vote would encounter issues with counting ballots in time for the election. During the time of the Constitutional Convention, the electoral college may have been the best option, since schooling wasn’t enforced and the general public was less informed in certain states. Now, populations have grown and moved to other parts of the country, making some spots more population dense than they were at the time of the Constitutional Convention. There is now television and newspaper to inform the public about different candidates. This makes more information available to the voters, giving the United States a more informed public than the public of 1787. An equally distributed electoral college would fix all of these problems, and still keep the organization of ballot counting.

As a new California voter in the next 2020 presidential election, I can see the importance in giving the electoral college an equal ratio. I want the needs and requests of the majority of the country to be met and underrepresented states like my own and Texas. Everyone should be able to have an equal say in elections.

Works Cited

Borzellino, Jenna. Proportional Electoral College. Map. 28 Mar. 2019. Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

Bouie, Jamelle. The Electoral College is the Greatest Threat to Our Democracy, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2019. Accessed 28 Mar. 2019.

Guelzo, Allen, and James Hulme. In Defense of the Electoral College, 15 Nov. 2016.