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What Can We Do about the Electoral College?

with Maria Woloson 

The framers of the U.S. Constitution established the Electoral College for several reasons that served certain purposes at the time; but this abstruse system has deprived the majority of Americans their choice for President five times in American history – three in the nineteenth century, and two in the last 20 years. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore won the popular vote against Governor George W. Bush by 543,895 votes but lost in the Electoral College – after highly contested intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court – by a single vote. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2,868,686 and yet lost the Electoral College because Trump won 45,000 more votes in three key states. In 2020, Biden won the popular vote by well over 7,000,000, but barely won the Electoral College, with 72,000 votes in a few key states. Many commentators have warned that Americans’ faith in the legitimacy of our democracy cannot withstand many more presidential elections in which the candidate who wins millions more popular votes does not win the presidency. But what can we do? More than 700 attempts to reform or abolish the Electoral College line the dustbin of history. Is it within our power to abolish the Electoral College, and secure the promise of one person, one vote for the highest office in the land? If it is not within our power, what perils does our democracy face, and how do we prepare for them? 

Bio:

Maria Woloson is an attorney with decades of experience in personal injury litigation and probate and estate planning. She is a member of the Board of the League of Women Voters of Oakland County, and serves on the Advocacy Committee of Michigan’s statewide League of Women Voters. As an active League member, Ms. Woloson has participated in voter registration drives, candidate forums, and educational programs. She encourages all members to actively promote LWV's mission of voter engagement, regularly pointing out, “Democracy is not a spectator sport!”