Will the Electoral College work?
It does not matter who you voted for in this year’s election. Soon, electoral votes will be cast and counted, and we will have a president-elect. The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College to prevent an unqualified individual from becoming president.
Donald Trump is no doubt a very successful businessman; however, he has no experience in policymaking or governing. Government is not a business, nor is it a for-profit enterprise. Unfortunately, in this election, the premise put forward by our Founding Fathers will not work effectively. In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention heavily debated how the president should be selected. Very few thought “the people” should have the power to elect the president. The Electoral College was established to prevent an unqualified candidate who had charisma, but little experience, from becoming president. Or, as Alexander Hamilton put it during the debate, “The office of president will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” It was decided that voters may vote, but each state will also have electoral votes equal to their membership in Congress to counteract, if necessary, the popular vote.
Historically, If electors wished to cast a vote for someone other than the candidate who received the popular vote in the state, they were free to do so. However, these “faithless electors,” as they have become known, have been stopped in 24 of the 50 states. Currently, 24 states – Pennsylvania is not one – require electors to cast all of their ballots according to the popular vote. This action has been upheld by the Supreme Court although it undermines the intent of the Founding Fathers.
It is ironic that the very reason why the Electoral College was established in 1787 will not be effective in 2016.
Gary L. Ford
Washington