The 2016 Presidential Elections
The 2016 elections represent the second time that Democrats have won the majority vote but still lost the presidential elections. While the presidential election in 2000 was a close run, it pales in comparison to Trump's election to the office. Philip Bump recaps what happened in the past election. Many continue to mock Trump's win because the feeling is that the majority denied him but the Electoral College ruled in his favor. The Electoral College can be considered as having handed a landslide victory to President Trump's camp (Bonanno 22-26). In case Trump had managed a win in the remaining states, he would have won by over 100 electoral votes. If you take away Minnesota, then it would represent a margin of 310 to 228, which is still a significant number.
Scrap the Electoral College
I opine that the Electoral College should be scrapped off entirely. As one of the biggest frauds of our time, it has been used severally to deny Democrats the presidency. It is essential to have a system that appreciates the voice of the majority and not the power of regions. In as much as regional representation is necessary, we should not ignore the views of the majority in the name of regional balancing.
Enhancing Democracy
The basics of democracy are based on the rule of the majority and not the control that some have over major regions in a country. For the US to enhance its constitutional status, it must first start by ensuring that the voice of the majority is considered at all times. It is the right time for the state to change its approach to elections. Therefore, it should adopt an election strategy in which the Office of the President goes to the most popular candidate. The best route for this country to take is to make sure that the state generally has a leader who is accepted by the majority. Once we have a president recognized by most of the population, there is a likelihood that the whole country will side with him. The desire is to make sure that we have a state that supports its president based on its understanding of his intentions for the country as a whole.
Overturning the Outcome
Divergent views have been given over the presidential elections in 2016 where the result was a president who is not liked or appreciated by the majority of the US population. Up to now, issues over the elections keep coming up, which means that the majority did not want him as their leader in as much as he won. The Electoral College gave Trump an upper hand in the elections because of the strategies he employed in capturing the electoral vote in most states rather than appealing to the majority of the US population. This outcome shows that elections should be about the majority liking a candidate, where we have a president of the people and not a majority region's leader.
A President for the People
The president exists to represent the majority because he is the representation of "we, the people." He should be a clear indication of the people's culture and not the last person to whom some people want to listen. In this case, the concept of the Electoral College subjected the US to a leader who is not appreciated by many but rather has the support of the majority regions. This country has a substantial population that needs to be well taken care of. For this to happen, it is crucial to have a president who is a diplomat and a true representative of the intentions of the state.
Works Cited
Blake, Aaron. “Abolish the Electoral College? Dream on, Democrats.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Nov. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/09/getting-rid-of-the-electoral-college-dream-on-democrats/?utm_term=.dead48b884a3.
Bonanno, Leonardo. "The Electoral College: Flaws and Modifications." Principles of Social Science 114.8 (2018): 66.
