This election season, we heard a lot of talk about how eliminating the Electoral College would make every American’s vote count. Often, this cry comes from more conservative circles of our political discourse.
But, as the Independent Voter Project notes, real thought went into the idea of the Electoral College. And the system gives rural voters far more of a voice than they would receive if it were abolished.
To give just one example, the five boroughs of New York City cast more ballots for Barack Obama in 2012 than Mitt Romney received in the seven least populated red states combined (WY, AK, ND, SD, MT, ID, WV). So, if the electoral college were revoked, the votes of that one city would cancel out the votes of seven rural states.
With the electoral college, New York State only receives a handful more electoral votes compared with those seven states. The system is a sort of “Goldilocks” solution that gives rural voters a voice.