On Dec. 14, the United States Electoral College will meet to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden is the winner of the election with a projected 306 electoral votes to President Donald Trump\u2019s 232 electoral votes. Although President Trump has alleged that a large amount of the votes cast were fraudulent, there has yet to be evidence produced to support these claims, and almost all of Trump\u2019s legal challenges have been struck down by judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to these allegations and a week-long vote counting process, several Harding students have expressed confusion about the electoral process and whether their votes really matter. Senior Lucas Lawrence, who voted in the 2020 election, expressed confusion as to why his vote seemingly does not matter in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think that it creates some dissonance that the popular vote does not always guarantee the winner,\u201d Lawrence said. \u201cThe whole system can really feel convoluted and confusing and break the straightforwardness of the whole \u2018just vote\u2019 idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This confusion has led to a renewed interest and discussion about whether the Electoral College is good for American politics. Assistant professor of history and political science Lori Klein argued that the Electoral College has done more positive than negative, and that it reflects a key idea in American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou get the number of electors based on how many House members you\u2019ve got and how many Senate members you\u2019ve got, so it reflects in the count the original bicameral compromise between the House being population-based and the Senate being an equal number per state,\u201d Klein said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have an electoral structure like we do. The small states want to make sure they don\u2019t get run over by the big states, and the big states want to make sure \u2026 the small states aren\u2019t riding along on their coat tails.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, not everyone is in agreement with Klein. Junior public administration major Bennett Anderson said the system creates power imbalances during elections.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVoters who are a political minority in their non-swing state feel like they have no say in the election, and a handful of battleground states ultimately [determines] the election’s outcome no matter how strongly most voters preferred the other choice,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThe Electoral College suppresses voters’ trust and confidence in their ability to make meaningful change in their government.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Klein said that she understands these frustrations and the key to changing the Electoral College is more in the people\u2019s hands than they realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t like the Electoral College, the chances of changing it nationally are slim, but you could change the way your state counts the electorate,\u201d Klein said. \u201cCitizens\u2019 initiatives come from the people and are sent to the legislature for approval. If you want to change the electorate, focus on your state.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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