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Electorial College or Popular Vote
On 07/15/2025 by
Elephants Room With
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Commentary,
Politics,
purple
Public Opinion (2023–2024 polls):
~60% to 65% of Americans support deciding presidential elections by popular vote.
~35% to 40% prefer keeping the Electoral College.
Source: Pew Research, Gallup, Axios/Ipsos, and others.
Partisan Divide:
Democrats: Around 80% favor the popular vote.
Republicans: Around 60–65% prefer the Electoral College.
Independents: Lean toward popular vote, but less strongly (~55–60%).
This split has grown since 2000 and 2016 — both years where Republicans won the presidency while losing the national popular vote.
Why People Support Popular Vote:
Simpler and more democratic: each vote counts equally.
Avoids “swing state” bias — candidates currently focus on a handful of battlegrounds.
Prevents outcomes where the Electoral College winner loses the popular vote.
Why People Defend the Electoral College:
It protects smaller states from being ignored by big population centers.
It forces candidates to build broader coalitions across regions.
It’s part of the federalist structure — states choose electors, not individuals directly.
Compromise in the Works?
Yes — the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is a workaround gaining traction:
States agree to give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote — once enough states join to reach 270 electoral votes.
So far, 17 states + D.C. have joined (totaling 205 electoral votes as of 2025).
Summary:
Most Americans support a national popular vote.
But political self-interest and structural inertia keep the Electoral College firmly in place — for now.
The path forward may come through the NPVIC, not a constitutional amendment.
Here’s the chart showing support for the Popular Vote vs. Electoral College across major political groups. As you can see:
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Democrats overwhelmingly favor the popular vote.
-
Republicans strongly prefer the Electoral College.
-
Independents lean toward the popular vote but are more divided.
-
Overall, most Americans favor switching to a popular vote system.
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Electorial College or Popular Vote
Public Opinion (2023–2024 polls):
~60% to 65% of Americans support deciding presidential elections by popular vote.
~35% to 40% prefer keeping the Electoral College.
Source: Pew Research, Gallup, Axios/Ipsos, and others.
Partisan Divide:
Democrats: Around 80% favor the popular vote.
Republicans: Around 60–65% prefer the Electoral College.
Independents: Lean toward popular vote, but less strongly (~55–60%).
This split has grown since 2000 and 2016 — both years where Republicans won the presidency while losing the national popular vote.
Why People Support Popular Vote:
Simpler and more democratic: each vote counts equally.
Avoids “swing state” bias — candidates currently focus on a handful of battlegrounds.
Prevents outcomes where the Electoral College winner loses the popular vote.
Why People Defend the Electoral College:
It protects smaller states from being ignored by big population centers.
It forces candidates to build broader coalitions across regions.
It’s part of the federalist structure — states choose electors, not individuals directly.
Compromise in the Works?
Yes — the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is a workaround gaining traction:
States agree to give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote — once enough states join to reach 270 electoral votes.
So far, 17 states + D.C. have joined (totaling 205 electoral votes as of 2025).
Summary:
Most Americans support a national popular vote.
But political self-interest and structural inertia keep the Electoral College firmly in place — for now.
The path forward may come through the NPVIC, not a constitutional amendment.
Here’s the chart showing support for the Popular Vote vs. Electoral College across major political groups. As you can see:
Democrats overwhelmingly favor the popular vote.
Republicans strongly prefer the Electoral College.
Independents lean toward the popular vote but are more divided.
Overall, most Americans favor switching to a popular vote system.
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