Our Undemocratic Democracy

When the polls closed on Nov. 8, 2016 and Republican candidate Donald Trump was announced the president of the United States, Americans reacted in rage. Swarms of angry protesters marched down the streets of Manhattan while demonstrators in other major cities such as Oakland, Chicago, Houston and Boston burned Trump paraphernalia and yelled chants of disapproval. Social media erupted with negative rants and arguments. Complaining residents forced three, New York buildings to remove the “Trump” title from front displays. A troubled Vietnam veteran from my own hometown set himself ablaze in protest. He suffered from severe injuries and was lucky to survive.

So, what is so infuriating about this election outcome that has people willing to burn flags, deface buildings, march, protest, incinerate themselves and react unlike ever before?

It seems as if the majority of Americans desperately wanted Clinton but somehow got Trump, and thanks to the Electoral College, that is precisely what happened.

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a staggering margin of 2 million but proceeded to lose the election because of an outdated voting process in our democratic system. It sounds unjustified and undemocratic but it is the reality. The long disputed Electoral College has cost two of the last five Democratic candidates the presidency. It was created by the Founding Fathers to benefit the less populous and uniformed, southern states during a time that predated mass media, constant information flow and interconnected communication. However, it continues to favor the small, rural states (typically Republican) despite technological advances and population shifts. Even Donald Trump, its newest beneficiary, criticized the Electoral College on Twitter during the 2012 election. 

Regardless of political affiliation, it’s clear that the system is flawed. According to Minnpost, “The Electoral College completely distorts the principle of one person, one-vote. Small states are significantly overrepresented and based on figures from the 2010 census, an individual in Wyoming has more than triple the weight in electoral votes than an individual in California.” This causes the inevitable swing state privilege and small state bias. Vox.com explains, “Millions of votes in safe states are “wasted” because it makes no difference whether a candidate wins California by 4 million votes, 400,000 votes or 40 votes- in any scenario, they receive 55 electors. Meanwhile, states like Florida and Ohio have the power to tip the outcome simply because they are closely divided politically.”

When it comes to politics, people want their opinions to be heard. Voting gives citizens the basic right to contribute, while the Electoral College strips it away, plays favorites, warps the process and tampers with the outcome. A nation that truly prides itself on democracy and equality would recognize the necessity for change.