Quote:
Originally Posted by jammies
The electoral college was instituted when rural voters far outnumbered urban voters. That it now acts to disproportionately weight rural voters over urban is an unintended effect, it is not at all accurate to claim that its "function" is something it was never intended to do. There were no polities at the time where cities dominated demographics, the possibility undoubtedly did not even occur to the American founders.
Further, weighting rural voters over urban (even if you think that's a good thing, which it really isn't) is pointless in a presidential election - you're electing one person, not a slate of people. The choice was between a New York robber baron and a Washington career politician, there's no more Abe Lincolns coming out of the backwoods to mystify the city folk and energize the yokels.
The college was intended to act as a veto on an unsuitable candidate who won the vote. If it doesn't even do that in this, the most opportune moment in two and a half centuries, it might as well be abolished.
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Even if it wasn't explicitly designed to allow rural voters a greater influence that's what it does today. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's not hard to see how interests in the heartland could get completely overridden by urban interests.
In regards to the college it might be a good idea to do away with it, but electors enacting their power to completely supersede the election results would not be a prudent move in my opinion. Also, your implicit assertion that trump is the worst candidate ever elected to office is completely subjective. Living in a democracy means that you have to accept being led by someone you find unfavorable. Trump has been pushing the boundaries on just how " unfavourable" people should tolerate, but not enough in my opinion to override what the people voted for. Any argument for electors not voting for Trump can be used against any subsequent president elect in the future, which is a scary thought for democracy. The best option to get rid of trump would be to impeach him, armed with solid evidence of wrong doing(s) once he's in office.