We Can’t Just Talk About the Electoral College Every Four Years

To make our democracy more representative, the national conversation around the Electoral College must start before the presidential election.

There was a brief moment in the past couple of weeks where it seemed that the 2024 presidential election would be decided not in Pennsylvania, Arizona, or Nevada, but rather in Nebraska.

The overwhelmingly red state is one of only two in the union that portions out its electoral votes by congressional district. Supporters of Donald Trump attempted to reverse this practice, which would have virtually guaranteed that the single electoral vote from Nebraska’s blue-leaning second congressional district would go to the Republican nominee.

If the election is close, the difference of one electoral vote could tilt the results of the presidential contest toward Trump—or it could produce a tie that would be resolved by the House of Representatives, almost assuredly in the GOP’s favor.

If that all sounds byzantine, it’s because it is.

When I speak with people from other countries about US democracy, the Electoral College is inevitably the most challenging part to explain. Our indirect method of choosing a chief executive even befuddles many Americans.

Every four years, someone is bound to point out that this arrangement is unfair or to propose fiddling with it, usually after their preferred candidate loses. Back in 2016, a handful of Democratic lawmakers made a (largely symbolic) push to reverse Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory. Four years earlier, it was Trump himself who tweeted that the Electoral College was “a disaster for a democracy.”

Throughout the week, Hezbollah and Israel exchanged increasingly intense missile fire, setting the stage for what seems to be a full-blown war in the Middle East between the only democracy in the region and Iran’s tag team of proxies. Hidden behind the fog of these attacks is the bigger picture of what Iran is trying to accomplish and the threat that Israel faces. By funding and arming proxies like Hezbollah, the regime in Tehran is fighting for the survival of its other proxy in Gaza—Hamas.

2. Defending against the home threat of a war in Taiwan

China could invade Taiwan as early as 2027. For America, that could mean war. If that happens, American infrastructure would be a prime target for Beijing. In a partial effort to defend against that scenario, the Biden administration proposed an initiative that would ban the use of Chinese software in electric vehicles. By doing so, the US intends to prevent Chinese intelligence agencies from accessing the US electrical grid and other critical systems needed to maintain the country's defense during a time of war.

3. What Ukraine needs from the US as a harsh winter approaches.

Russia’s widespread attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the imminent capture of its logistical hubs in the Donbas region are setting Ukraine up for a brutal winter. But whether or not Ukraine endure the storm largely depends on the continued support of its democratic allies. RDI advisor and national security expert Max Boot stresses the necessity of American air defense systems to protect critical Ukrainian infrastructure and increased foreign investment in Ukraine’s defense industry.

4. America’s first autocrat.

In the third episode of The Atlantic podcast “Autocracy in America,” RDI advisor Anne Applebaum and Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute Peter Pomerantsev go back to 1930’s Louisiana to explore the rise of America’s first autocrat—the state’s former Governor Huey Long. They examine how Long captured his state’s institutions to serve himself rather than his constituents. Sound familiar?

5. Why political violence in America is good for Russia and China.

RDI’s Senior Fellow and Nicaraguan dissident Félix Maradiaga provides insights on how political violence in the US impacts the global perception of democracy globally. He notes that “political polarization, growing intolerance, and the unchecked availability of high-caliber weapons have created a perfect storm for political violence. The world is watching.” Russia and China certainly are. There’s little doubt they are relishing the erosion of America’s democratic norms and eagerly watching how our domestic problems stain US projects globally.

Making Sense of the American Right and Left

A conversation with Steve Israel, Daniella Ballou-Aares, and Bret Stephens, moderated by Uriel Epshtein — September 19, 2024

*Last week's edition of The Democracy Brief inadvertently omitted Daniella Ballou-Aares’ name from the article's subtitle. We apologize for the error.

Last Friday in Washington DC, RDI partnered with the Victims of Communism Museum to welcome the Ukrainian Cultural Forces (UCF).

The cultural wing of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, the UCF consists of professional artists who are now active duty soldiers.

They played Ukrainian classical and world music to a packed audience as part of a music tour in gratitude for America’s support for the war torn nation.

Putin’s illegal war of aggression is based on a denial of the nation of Ukraine. The UCF musicians who performed last week remind us of the reality of the Ukrainian nation, which is currently under threat and at risk of being extinguished by Vladimir Putin.

The UCF musicians brought us the joy of music from their Ukrainian culture—the heritage of a nation that remains and is worth celebrating.