The "Urban SuperState" and the Electoral College II.docx

Since the 2016 Presidential Election we have heard strident calls for doing away with the Electoral College because Clinton won more votes than Trump—not even close to a majority but “more”. The Elections Project estimates there are approximately 250 million Americans in the voting age population and something like 231 million eligible to vote after those who have been disqualified are deducted.  It also estimates that 200 million are actually registered to vote.  In the recent election 134 million voted for Clinton, Trump, Johnson or Stein.  This means that almost 100 million American citizens who were eligible to vote and 66 million who actually registered to vote did not exercise that right.  It is everyone’s right not to vote just as it is an eligible individual’s right to vote.  But the fact nearly 100 million citizens opted to “vote with their feet” by abstaining puts to shame the indignant clamoring that Clinton won a majority of the national vote. 

 

Technically Clinton received more votes than Trump.  Just as technically, and of much greater legal effect under the US Constitution, Trump received the clear majority of Electoral College votes.  Before we get overly excited or morally offended by the fact that one candidate received a majority from America’s citizens it is useful to realize that at 64 and 62 million votes for either Clinton or Trump that each candidate received slightly more than 25 percent of those eligible to vote and less than 33 percent of those who bothered to register to vote.  Whether this represents voter apathy or voter contempt for either candidate is irrelevant, but it does stand for the fact that no one came close to receiving a majority of voters eligible to vote or those registered to vote who either did not show up to vote at all or like some people I know decided not to vote for president because the choices were too unpalatable.