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Case for the Electoral College

The year 2000 Presidential Election results have brought the electoral college voting system directly into the public's attention, and many are wondering why such a system still exists? Many want to see it thrown out, calling it archaic and useless.

So why do we have the electoral college, instead of just a straight popular vote? Simple. This system allows EVERY state to have a say, no matter what.

First, let's quickly describe what the electoral vote method is.

In the electoral college process, each state receives the number of electoral votes equal to the number of its members of the House, which depends on the state's population, and the number of its senators, which is always two.

So, for example, Illinois has 22 electoral votes, because it has 20 members of the House and two senators. California has the most electoral votes, with 54.

No state gets any fewer than 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia also has 3 electoral votes making 538 total electoral votes possible.

You need 50% plus one vote in order to win.

That means that currently, 270 electoral votes are need to win.

Let's run some examples with realistic numbers in a fictional race where 100% of the population votes between two candidates. (Impossible, I know, but it makes calculating the numbers easier for all of us.) These numbers are according to State Population Estimates, in 7/99 (latest figures I could find).

Now with a total population of 272,690,813 people in the USA, that means, theoretically, a 51% majority vote equals 139,072,315 people voting for the winner.

the most populous state is California with 33,145,121 people there. The lowest population belongs to Wyoming with a whopping 479,602 people living there.

In a popular vote election, if 51% of California vote for one candidate, that's 16,309,948 votes.

If the lowest population states vote 100% for the other candidate, California's votes nullify all the votes of:

1. West Virginia
2. New Mexico
3. Nebraska
4. Maine
5. Idaho
6. New Hampshire
7. Hawaii
8. Rhode Island
9. Montana
10. Delaware
11. South Dakota
12. North Dakota
13. Alaska
14. Vermont
15. District of Columbia
16. and Wyoming.

(The lowest population states)

----------------ADDED 9/18/2001----------------

NOTE: Alex Small's response to this article shows a very different assesment of these numbers. It is a very valid point that should be viewed in light of this article. You can read Alex Small's response here.

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In the closest race possible, all these 15 states (and one district) COMBINED will never have their voice heard no matter what against just half of California.

If we increase the California vote to 55%, then we can also cut out Nevada from the elections since 18,229,817 of California has had their say.

If a candidate gets 65% of California, or 21,544,329 votes, then Utah is also thrown out of the race.

In fact, in order to get 51% of the votes or 139,072,315, a candidate needs the votes from ONLY:

1. California
2. Texas
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Illinois
6. Pennsylvania
7. Ohio
8. Michigan
9. and New Jersey.

(The highest population states)

This gives a candidate 139,883,334 votes and the win.

9 states have just spoken for the entire Union.

and that's in the CLOSEST election possible. At 55% and 65% it's even worse.

All hail the winner.

In comparison:

In the same elections described above, a 51% vote in California wins all 54 electoral votes. To balance that, the other candidate must only win 51% (and thus all the electoral votes) of the 15 lowest population states instead of 100%. With that result being more plausible, candidates are more likely to visit and pay attention to the smaller states.

If 65% of California votes for a candidate, nothing changes. The other states, still have their say without needing to vote 100% for one candidate.

In fact in a really close race, where the electoral votes are split 267/268, it's possible that Wyoming's 3 electoral votes can tip the scale in someone's favor. The lowest population state has a say where, in a popular vote election, they probably won't even be considered.

So as we can see, as long as we want ALL the states to have a "fair" say as to who will lead the USA, we must keep the electoral college system intact.

We MUST remember that this system was created toward the beginning of this country's creation when only a handful of colonies/states existed. They wanted a system that kept one branch of the government from electing the office of another branch, and they also needed something that could allow smaller states to have a say. The electoral college was not an overnight decision. It was a well thought out planned portion of our government to keep itself well regulated.

I believe that impulse attempts to remove the system are very bad and short sighted actions. Please reconsider any thoughts you might have to ridding our country of this imperfect but useful voting system.

If you feel you need to double check my numbers, here are the population totals and electoral votes from each state in comma delimited fashion.

I am also offering a free MS Access Database in ZIP format with the same numbers. You can download it here.

I highly encourage you to try some testes yourself with proper numbers. Happy Calculating.

State,Population,Electoral Votes
Alabama,4369862,9
Alaska,619500,3
Arizona,4778332,8
Arkansas,2551373,6
California,33145121,54
Colorado,4056133,8
Connecticut,3282031,8
Delaware,753538,3
District of Columbia,519000,3
Florida,15111244,25
Georgia,7788240,13
Hawaii,1185497,4
Idaho,1251700,4
Illinois,12128370,22
Indiana,5942901,12
Iowa,2869413,7
Kansas,2654052,6
Kentucky,3960825,8
Louisiana,4372035,9
Maine,1253040,4
Maryland,5171634,10
Massachusetts,6175169,12
Michigan,9863775,18
Minnesota,4775508,10
Mississippi,2768619,7
Missouri,5468338,11
Montana,882779,3
Nebraska,1666028,5
Nevada,1809253,4
New Hampshire,1201134,4
New Jersey,8143412,15
New Mexico,1739844,5
New York,18196601,33
North Carolina,7650789,14
North Dakota,633666,3
Ohio,11256654,21
Oklahoma,3358044,8
Oregon,3316154,7
Pennsylvania,11994016,23
Rhode Island,990819,4
South Carolina,3885736,8
South Dakota,733133,3
Tennessee,5483535,11
Texas,20044141,32
Utah,2129836,5
Vermont,593740,3
Virginia,6872912,13
Washington,5756361,11
West Virginia,1806928,5
Wisconsin,5250446,11
Wyoming,479602,3

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