Why the Electoral College Still Matters



A lot of people ask, “Why don’t we just go by the popular vote? Isn’t that more fair?” It sounds simple, but the truth is, the Electoral College exists for a reason—and it’s more important than people realize.

The Electoral College makes sure that every state counts, not just the biggest cities. Without it, a few massive cities could basically decide the presidency on their own. Think about it: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago alone have tens of millions of people. If the election were decided purely by the popular vote, candidates could win just by focusing on these cities, while ignoring everyone else in the country. That wouldn’t really be fair to people living in smaller towns or rural areas.

We’ve seen this happen before. In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote by over half a million, but George W. Bush won the presidency thanks to the Electoral College. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got nearly 3 million more votes nationwide than Donald Trump, but Trump won the presidency because he carried the right combination of states. The system is designed to prevent a few population centers from deciding the whole country’s future.

The Electoral College also forces candidates to campaign across the country. They can’t just focus on big cities—they have to consider the needs of smaller states, rural areas, and communities outside the big urban centers. That way, more of the country feels represented, and the president has to appeal to a wider, more diverse group of voters.

So yeah, it’s not perfect. But it keeps our elections balanced. It ensures that your vote matters whether you live in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, or a small town in Kansas. Without it, candidates could ignore most of the country and only play to the biggest cities—and that’s exactly what the Electoral College prevents.


Works Cited

National Archives. What is the Electoral College? U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 2023, 

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Electoral College | Pros, Cons, Debate, Arguments, Founding.” Britannica, 2023, 

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Arguments for the Electoral College. 2023, 

SmartAsset. “The Pros and Cons of the Electoral College.” 2023, 

Wikipedia contributors. “Swing State.” Wikipedia, 2023, 

University of California, Santa Barbara. Presidency Project: U.S. Presidential Election Results 2000. 2023, 

National Archives. 2016 Electoral College Results. 2023, 

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