Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently made a bold statement during a fundraiser in California, urging for the elimination of the Electoral College. This move has been supported by some Democrats in the past, especially after experiencing election defeats. During the event at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s private home in Sacramento, Walz expressed his belief that the Electoral College system needs to be eliminated in favor of a national popular vote, stating that this is the direction we should be moving towards.
In 2023, Governor Walz signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is an agreement among states to allocate all their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. This compact would only take effect if states with a total of at least 270 electoral votes pledge their support to the initiative. The current Electoral College system assigns a certain number of electors to each state, who then cast their votes for the president and vice president. Most states operate on a winner-takes-all basis, where the candidate with the majority of votes in that state receives all its electoral votes, while Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system.
The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers to prevent larger states from overpowering smaller ones in presidential elections. Abolishing this system would require a significant constitutional amendment, which is no easy feat. Critics of the Electoral College argue that it undermines the principle of democracy, as seen in cases like Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote in 2016 but losing the election to Donald Trump, or George W. Bush winning the presidency in 2000 despite losing the popular vote.
While Democrats have been vocal about their support for eliminating the Electoral College, many Republicans oppose this idea, fearing that it would give more power to densely populated states and diminish the influence of smaller ones. There are also concerns that a popular vote system would lead presidential candidates to concentrate their efforts on a few key states, neglecting the rest of the country during campaigns.
Former President Trump has expressed mixed views on the Electoral College, criticizing it in the past while also acknowledging that a popular vote could work in his favor. Despite differing opinions, a recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that a majority of Americans, 63% to be exact, are in favor of doing away with the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote system.
Governor Tim Walz’s call to eliminate the Electoral College adds to the ongoing debate surrounding the fairness and effectiveness of the current system. Whether this change will come to fruition remains to be seen, but it is clear that the conversation on electoral reform is far from over.
