Why the Electoral College is Important

After the election of president Donald Trump many people, particularly on the left, started to push the idea that the electoral college should be abolished and the election should instead be decided by a popular vote. While it may be confusing to some on why the system is set up the way it is, it does in fact protect against the issues a pure democracy might bring. One who may not know why the electoral college is set up the way it is may believe that it is a silly way of doing things, but I can assure you it is not. Pure democracies can be very dangerous because there are no checks on the majority and it can quickly become a tyrannous situation. The creators of the constitution were very aware of the problems pure democracy poses and sought to contain the impulses of the masses as much as possible. John Adams himself said, "Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a Democracy Yet, that did not commit suicide". The United States itself is not a democracy, it is a republic. The founders debated on multiple ways that the president should be elected, some did want a direct vote while others wanted the senate to choose the president. They settled on a compromise between direct democracy and a irresponsible elitist rule in congress, both of which were fears for the writers of the constitution. What we know now as the Electoral College has been an incredibly successful system of election. For one, it is amazing that the electoral has been a stable and enduring process for as long as it has been. Compared to other forms of election throughout history the system of an Electoral College has been one of the most sustainable and well balanced throughout history, allowing different parties to have control of the presidency. Over 200 years of success in preserving a stable nation should not be ignored. The Electoral College also incentives coalition building. A candidate can't only pitch to the people who live in big cities, or people who live in one region of the country. They must reach to multiple regions and multiple demographics to be a successful candidate. This forces a candidate to campaign in places like Montana and Mississippi, making sure that their interests aren't forgotten. The idea of federalism is enforced in the Electoral College. In essence the states choose the president, with each state having a say in who is elected president. The Electoral College hasn't yet been proven to be an ineffective way of choosing a president, and as the saying goes " If it ain't broke, don't fix it".