Electoral College

In the discussion of American politics, there is much criticism surrounding the continued existence of the Electoral College, or the limited body of selected voters for each state that ultimately determines the winner of the United States Presidential Election.

Many argue for the radical abolition of the Electoral College, claiming that it is obsolete and no longer relevant or necessary for the current state of the U.S. and your new age of information and widespread education. Further, people often remark the difference between the popular vote and the Electoral College vote results, citing elections such as that of 2016 in which the Electoral College elected President Trump contrary to the Popular Vote's support for Secretary Clinton.

To be clear, I do consider myself a lover of liberty, but it is necessary for me to explain to the common people of America why the Electoral College must not be eradicated in one booming radical reformation. Firstly, this body was a structure implemented into your Constitution by your great Founding Fathers. This document has been upheld each day since its creation in a country aged more than two centuries. In the construction or renovating of a commonwealth, "it is like every other experimental science, not to be taught a priori" (4). Rather, I advocate for a posteriori, championing tradition and experience in the endeavors of governing (4). Therefore, people of this current generation, I advise you to consider the importance of tradition, specifically of your Constitution, and remember the ways in which your country has flourished beneath it. I warn you, to have "infinite caution" before "pulling down an edifice which has answered in tolerable degrees for ages" (4).

To be clear, I am a man of liberty, but I am not a man of revolution or rapid change. If it is true that the Electoral College is not an accurate reflection of the will of the people and is turning the country towards despotism, then surely, in the name of liberty, reform should occur. This change, however, should come in a practical and conservative manner.

*Author consulted Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790) for this post.