Is it time to drop the Electoral College?

[Trinnity]

I think the electoral college is a good thing. I don't think the electoral college is a good thing.

See?

[patrickt]

No, it's time to stop the rampant fraud by the Democrats. Even the UN "observers" were shocked at how easy it was to cheat. Duh!

[truthmatters]

lying about the election will just make your party worse

[Trinnity]

You shouldn't accuse others of lying when you do it yourself, TM. You said you were leaving the forum. That was a whopper of a lie. Do the right thing and leave.

[Peter1469]

OTOH, now that most states are totally uncompetitive in the Prez election,it seems to be happening anyway just in a different twist, it seems to me now that essentially only the middle of the road states matter, where as either extreme (large populated urban states on the one end and small and very rural states on the other) usually don't.

Electoral college were established more or less as a comprimise so that smaller states still get their say. on the brighter side, realignment of states usually happen every few decades anyway. so we should be pretty close to that .

The Electoral college was not so much a compromise as another example of checks and balances seen within the Constitution.

[Chris]

Removing the electoral college would have the same effect as the 17th amendment on senate elections, move us away from the modicum of state's rights we have left toward ever more populist, majoritarianism.

[Captain Obvious]

Removing the electoral college would have the same effect as the 17th amendment on senate elections, move us away from the modicum of state's rights we have left toward ever more populist, majoritarianism.

How?

[Chris]

How?

Electoral college gives each state a say in the election. A few small states decided the election last night. Electors are not in all states required to vote per popular vote. The 17th amendment had the same effect. Both contribute to a less republic form of government, and to a more democratic, or majoritarian form.

[roadmaster]

Did anyone notice Obama failed to win any states with photo ID laws for voters, but he did win all the swing states which require no voter ID?

[Captain Obvious]

Electoral college gives each state a say in the election. A few small states decided the election last night. Electors are not in all states required to vote per popular vote. The 17th amendment had the same effect. Both contribute to a less republic form of government, and to a more democratic, or majoritarian form.

Except for a few instances, you do realize that for the most part that concept is superfluous, no?

90-some percent of the time the popular vote goes with the electoral vote. It came close this election, but that correlation still maintained.

Having said that, I still don't understand the concept of the facade of "states rights" when at the end of the day votes are paralleling electoral votes. Stating it the other way, I don't see a benefit of having an electoral college - what does it protect elections from (or defend them from)?