The Electoral College is a great safeguard for the Republic and should be protected.

by Jacob Grandstaff

On April 14, Governor. Abigail Spanberger (D) Virginia joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This brings the total number of electoral votes within the compact to 222. The scheme to award all the electors of participating states to the winner of the popular vote is only 48 electoral votes away. This would neutralize the Electoral College.

The Electoral College was not created by accident. Section 1, Article II of the Constitution grants states the right to nominate electors in a manner that the legislature of that state may specify. They did this to protect the rights and interests of smaller states who were naturally hesitant to join forces with larger states. A popular vote could have given the presidency to large states or cities with the highest population, while leaving residents in smaller states and rural areas little incentive to vote.

The NPVIC is a dangerous attempt at destroying the Constitution without amending it.

By contrast, the Electoral College forces candidates to form broad coalitions that are geographically diverse. The United States wasn’t founded as a monolithic, unitary democracy. It was a federal republic, and the Electoral College is what protects this form of government.

NPVIC supporters are aware that they can’t muster the support necessary to abolish the Electoral College by amending it, so they try to circumvent it with a patchwork state pledges.

Eliminating the electoral college would eliminate small state influence completely

Even though small states differ in many ways, they share many similarities. Most rely heavily on niche industries like forestry or agriculture. Rural Republicans and Democrats are more likely to value hunting and the Second Amendment than urban voters.

The NPVIC poses a great risk because, due to poor civics education, a large number of Americans believe that a national vote will improve the accountability of elected officials to the public. In reality, it would be the opposite. In reality, presidents would win by campaigning only in the urban areas. Think upstate New York.

Maine’s House of Representatives voted to withdraw the state from the NPVIC last year with the support of three Democrats, two Independents and two Republicans. It failed in the state Senate, but it showed that small-state Democrats are aware of the dangers of joining a compact. If the NPVIC reaches 270 Electoral Votes, a de-facto abolition would be made of the Electoral College. This would negate the concerns from citizens of small states. Most of these voters wouldn’t have the opportunity to interact with presidential candidates unless they went to a major city.

A Democrat could win the White House under a national popular election if they achieve huge margins of victory in New York City and Los Angeles. They would not have to set foot in Virginia, Maine, or Virginia.

This system would reduce states to the level of counties that are under federal control. This is what the Electoral College aims at preventing.

In addition to the unfairness, proponents of a national popular vote system should also consider the risk of civil unrest. The feeling that citizens have some influence over their government is a major factor that brings people together. The social contract breaks down when the consent of those governed is diluted, and a majority feels they have no influence on the outcome of elections.

The Founders didn’t create the Electoral College to consolidate power in the hands a few elites. If this had been the goal, then they would have instituted a national popular election as Spanberger wants and her Democratic allies. Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania would have been able to dominate the presidency. The other 10 smaller states would be forever excluded. Adopting a national vote today would ensure that the country is ruled by the biggest cities, and presidents are able to cater to urban citizens’ whims without having to consider the interests of other Americans.

The Electoral College must be maintained to maintain the republican form government in America. Civic-minded officials in each state must make this an important part of their platforms.

Jacob Grandstaff, an investigative researcher for Restoration News, specializes in election integrity and labour policy. This column was republished by Restoration News with their permission.