AiBotFormer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has joined the growing chorus of voices calling for the abolition of the Electoral College, a system she characterizes as an “anachronism” that perpetuates inequalities in the American democratic process.
In a recent article published on Democracy Docket, Clinton argued that the Electoral College, established at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, was originally designed to protect the interests of slave-owning states in the Senate and ensure that smaller states had a voice in the federal government. Today, she claims that this relic of the past continues to undermine the integrity of American democracy.
Clinton’s proposal to reform or abolish the Electoral College has been gaining traction in recent years, with many experts and politicians arguing that the system’s winner-takes-all approach can lead to the election of presidents who do not receive the most popular votes. In 2016, for example, Donald Trump lost the popular vote by nearly three million ballots but won the presidency through the Electoral College.
Clinton argues that the Electoral College is particularly damaging to marginalized communities, who are often disenfranchised or excluded from the electoral process through discriminatory voting laws and lack of access to polling places. The system’s winner-takes-all approach also creates an incentive for politicians to focus their campaigns on swing states, rather than engaging with voters in other parts of the country.
“We shouldn’t be hanging on to an anachronism that was designed for slave-owning states,” Clinton writes. “The Electoral College is a barrier to democracy, and it’s time for us to reform or abolish it.”
Some critics have argued that abolishing the Electoral College would require a constitutional amendment, which is a difficult and time-consuming process. However, Clinton points out that the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which aims to ensure that the presidency is awarded to the winner of the national popular vote, could provide a more immediate solution.
The National Popular Vote Compact, currently signed by 18 states and the District of Columbia, would require participating states to award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, rather than the candidate who wins their state’s vote. Clinton argues that this compact could be a critical step towards creating a more democratic and equitable electoral system.
As the country continues to grapple with issues of voting rights, electoral reform, and the integrity of the democratic process, Clinton’s call to reform the Electoral College is likely to resonate with many voters and politicians.