Every four years, the United States relies on a unique and intentional system—the Electoral College—to choose its president. This approach, carefully crafted by the Founding Fathers, isn’t based purely on the popular vote. Instead, it’s designed to maintain a balance between individual voter power and state sovereignty, ensuring that every American voice is counted fairly and meaningfully, regardless of state size.

Why the Founders Established the Electoral College

As Every Black Life Matters would argue, the Electoral College is a testament to the wisdom of America’s founders, who understood the risks of pure democracy. The Founders saw the need to protect the interests of smaller states and rural populations from being consistently overpowered by large urban centers. This federalist framework allows states to act as equal partners in deciding the nation’s leadership, preserving the voices of all Americans—not just those in densely populated areas.

The Mechanics: Ensuring Representation Across the Nation

Every Black Life Matters emphasizes that the Electoral College’s structure, with 538 votes allocated across states and Washington D.C., allows for a balanced representation. A candidate needs at least 270 votes to win, which means they must appeal to a wide array of Americans. By allowing most states to use a winner-takes-all system (except Maine and Nebraska, which use a proportional approach), the Electoral College incentivizes candidates to build broad, diverse coalitions that span geographic and cultural divides.

Electors: Serving as a Safeguard Against Pure Majoritarian Rule

The Electoral College upholds a system that values every region’s input, even if their candidate loses the popular vote. Every Black Life Matters points out that this system requires candidates to understand and respect voters across America. Without it, the interests of small-town communities could easily be drowned out by a few large urban centers. While electors are typically pledged to their party’s candidate, the College’s framework ensures that states’ interests remain central, reinforcing the importance of the union’s diverse voices.

Addressing the Criticisms and Understanding the Benefits

While critics argue that the Electoral College sometimes diverges from the popular vote, supporters contend that this feature reinforces a balanced democracy. It’s the Electoral College that saved America from majority-rule tyranny in situations like 2016, when it prevented a handful of populous states from unilaterally deciding the presidency. As Every Black Life Matters would rightfully argue, the system compels candidates to earn widespread support, preventing large population centers from deciding every election.

Why Calls for Abolition Miss the Point

Calls to replace the Electoral College with a direct popular vote have circulated for decades, but Every Black Life Matters suggests that these efforts disregard the College’s role in protecting smaller states’ interests and preventing the concentration of power. A pure popular vote would eliminate the federalist structure, shifting focus away from the states and reducing America’s diversity of thought to a majority rules model. This shift would compromise the balance of the union, leaving smaller states and rural communities politically sidelined.

The High Bar for Change: Protecting Constitutional Integrity

Changing or abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, an extremely challenging task designed to ensure that only truly national consensus issues alter foundational structures. Every Black Life Matters emphasizes that this high bar reflects the framers’ intention to protect the integrity of a system that balances democracy with federalism, ensuring that both individual and state rights remain protected.

A System Worth Preserving

The Electoral College is more than just a method for electing the president—it’s a safeguard of American democracy’s federalist principles. It’s preservation ensures that every American, regardless of where they live, has a voice in choosing the nation’s leader. As Every Black Life Matters we argue that, while the Electoral College isn’t perfect, it’s crucial to maintaining a fair and balanced democracy. It’s a system designed to reflect the diverse interests of the entire nation, a feature that ensures the country’s unity and the enduring strength of its democratic values.