Alexander Bershtein
Staff Writer

The Electoral College is a section of our American government that has not had much of a positive liking in the current era. Usually this disdain is a reference back to the year 2000. In the Race between George W. Bush and Al Gore the Electoral College decided to not vote along with the popular Vote for president. The previous time this happened was in 1888. In the presidential race between Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland in which Benjamin Harrison won despite not having the popular vote.

Comparing the 1800s to this century would be ridiculous considering the different viewpoints, advanced technology, globalization, and how that has changed the way politics work in our time.

I find it astonishing that the basis of the electoral college’s founding was because of a lack of trust in the American public. The government believed that the people were not educated enough to elect someone who was not a tyrant. One of my favorite founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, wrote his support for the Electoral college. It is one of the few things I disagree with him about though.

Is the reasoning behind establishing the electoral college now obsolete though? With phones, tablets, and even watches people can find all the information they could ever want on a presidential nominee. Majority of us have went to school and know what a dictator is. A lot of us know what a despot is. Does that mean the electoral college is needed anymore? Do we need a group of people second guessing our choice for our leader? Is that really democratic?

If you think I am wrong and want to respond, let me ask you something. Do you research your choices when voting? Do you know their platform and their motivations? Have you educated yourself on how what they want compares to what you want? Take some time and think about that.

I myself hate the Electoral College, but I also ponder its purpose. Even though I believe it can be manipulated and broken, as it was back in 2000. I also believe that if it is disbanded people need to take the responsibility to acknowledge their own participation in our country’s government. Would they acknowledge that the burden in now on them to select their leader? Would participation in the government rise and usher in an era of prosperity? Or would no one care and the country descend into chaos?

If you want to complain about the Electoral College, then at least be an American that participates in voting in the candidate you believe in.