Whether you are a Democrat or Republican we all have felt frustrated and confused by the electoral college. As most of us know, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote this year and fell dramatically behind in electoral votes. So the question is, how is this a fair election and how can we really be considered a Democracy if the people aren’t really getting a say?

First things first, what in the heck even is the Electoral College? The concept of the Electoral College first came about in 1787 but the phrase “Electoral College” was not actually written into federal law until 1845. The popular vote back then would have been extremely hard to census due to slavery and the lack of voting rights in America. So this committee comes up with a plan that each state would elect their own electors and the number of electors would be equal to the number of representatives in Congress. Most small states favored the electoral college out of concern that the large states would otherwise control presidential elections.

In this 2016 election Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a pretty decent margin, but that is less a result of the Electoral College and more a result of the way states distribute electors. In every state but Maine and Nebraska, electors are awarded on a winner-take-all basis. So if a candidate wins a state by even the smallest margin, he or she wins all of the state’s electoral votes. The winner-take-all system is not federally required; states are free to distribute their electoral votes as they wish.

So is this “Electoral College” a good thing or a bad thing? My answer is, it can be both.

Pros:

• Protects minority interests
• It facilitates a two-party system

The Electoral College preserves the voice of states with lower populations and more rural areas. Especially in recent times, urban areas tend to be more populated, but the Electoral College saves the interests of farmers and those found in less active places.

Some people are not fans of the two-party system, but the Republican V. Democrats structure creates more stability. The small number of political parties allows for generalized platforms instead of parties focused on specific issues.

Cons:

• The person a majority of Americans favor may not win.
• It’s complicated and dissuades people from voting.

Certain smaller states have a larger percentage of Electoral College votes than their percentage of population of the United States. This is because the minimum number of Electoral College votes for a state is three. Some consider this to not be democratic.

A popular vote is a majority, but the Electoral College consists of restructuring votes every 10 years because of population changes and electing delegates. There are many more steps involved, which may give citizens the feeling that their vote does not count, encouraging them to stay home instead of voting on election days.

How do you feel about the Electoral College and what does it mean to you?