BUDD: Congress Has A Duty To Protect The Electoral College

Over the past couple months, I’ve noticed prominent politicians and pundits who frequent mainstream media outlets suggest, quite passionately, that the Electoral College be abolished. Their reasoning for abolishing this uniquely American process? They claim that the system is outdated and undemocratic.

I disagree. Let me explain why I plan to introduce a resolution in the coming weeks recognizing the significance of the Electoral College.

First, to provide some context, at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the founding fathers deliberated over the best way to elect the President and Vice President. They ultimately decided on a system made up of electors from each state equal to the number of representatives plus the number of senators. This body of electors, known as the Electoral College, would have final say on the country’s leadership.

The portion of Article 2, Section 1, describing the Electoral College is longer and descends into more detail than almost every other single issue the Constitution addresses. This section is more detailed than the federal judiciary, war powers, and more than taxation and representation. So when opponents of the Electoral College argue that we need to move away from this system, they should look at the precision with which Article 2, Section 1 was crafted. It was deliberately and thoughtfully written and serves a key purpose in preserving our democratic republic.

Why did they do this? To put it simply, the founders designed the Electoral College to prevent the tyranny of big states over smaller states. If we think about the design of the U.S. Senate, it also serves a similar purpose, in that all states, large and small, receive equal representation with two seats. If we do away with the Electoral College, then shouldn’t we do the same with the Senate? While I haven’t heard a member of Congress float that idea, that’s what their proposals will ultimately lead to.

So, to put it simply, I plan to introduce a resolution protecting this sacred process because it is under attack. It’s sad, but members of Congress have to act now before the unthinkable happens. Abolishing the Electoral College is an attempt to water down one of the largest protectors of federalism enshrined in our Constitution. It’s a dangerous and radical idea. And at its core, the idea is fundamentally anti-American.

Congressman Ted Budd represents North Carolina as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. He sits on the House Financial Services Committee.