September 16, 2025

It’s been a long couple of weeks. As the Supreme Court clears the way for racial profiling during immigration raids, Trump is gearing up to send National Guard troops to Memphis. The Trump administration is ignoring the rule of law, and our constitutional system is under incredible strain. 

I created Democracy Docket in 2020 to be a pro-democracy source of accurate information, news and analysis about what is happening to voting, elections and democracy. It is even more important now to pay attention to the threats facing our democracy and take steps to protect it.

Things may be scary, but your questions have made one thing clear: there are people out there who are ready to be in the fight. Your questions give me hope, they give me energy, and they make me think. Thank you for asking them. I will continue to answer.

Now let’s get into it.

Q: Please explain why we still need the Electoral College. It seems by getting rid of the Electoral College would eliminate gerrymandering maps and the popular vote would determine the elections.

 — Anonymous 

A: In short, we don’t. The Electoral College was the product of a political compromise and distrust in the general public. Recall that under the Electoral College system, state legislatures were given the power to select the state’s electors. While every state eventually moved to a popular vote, that was not its original design. 

Also, the Electoral College was designed to put disproportionate award power to states with less population. Over time, these population differences have only increased. And the Electoral College makes less sense. 

In two out of the last seven elections, the candidate who won the popular vote lost the Electoral College and the presidency. This includes Donald Trump in 2016. This not only silences the will of the voters, but creates a massive disconnect between public opinion and the outcome of the election. 

The Electoral College also dissuades candidates from appealing to the entire country. Instead, they target voters in only a handful of so-called swing states – leaving the majority of voters effectively as bystanders to the give and take of the political campaign.

To completely abolish the Electoral College and award power back to the people, we would need to pass a constitutional amendment. This would require the consent of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states. This is unlikely anytime soon. The Electoral College favors Republican states — something they are very aware of — and they are in no rush to relinquish their power. 

However, there is a movement to form an interstate compact among states whereby they would agree to pledge their electors to the candidate who wins the overall popular vote. 

As for gerrymandering, it is likely to survive any changes to the Electoral College. The good news is that Congress can, on its own, ban the practice and require states to draw fair districts. Democrats tried to enact this reform in 2022, but Republicans blocked it.