In his remarks regarding yesterday's election, Vice President Al Gore left many mixed messages regarding the role of the Electoral College in this nation's electoral process. Yesterday, he seemed to insist that the Constitution be followed, but also seemed to suggest that a system in which the popular vote winner did not become president would not embolden confidence in people of their democracy.
Indeed his remarks were as foggy as Kent was yesterday morning when residents awoke to find that the 43rd president had not yet been chosen. The Gore and Bush campaigns also refused to comment on the hypothetical situations regarding the Electoral College and popular vote.
But one thing has become clear after the events of the last 48 hours: The Electoral College must be dissolved.
The college was created because the framers of the Constitution did not entirely trust the people to elect the president. Instead, electors were chosen to affirm or reject the people's vote. When you vote for president, you are actually voting for electors chosen by the two candidates, not the candidates themselves. Each state is allocated a number of electoral votes based upon the number of its U.S. senators plus the number of its U.S. representatives. Because the electors for each state are awarded on a winner-take-all basis, it is possible that a candidate could garner a majority or plurality of the popular vote but lose the election because they did not get enough electoral votes.
This has not been an issue in America in 100 years. Unfortunately, with the margin of votes between Gore and Bush at less than 200,000, and the results in Florida which will tip the balance in the Electoral College, the issue must be addressed.
Americans cannot and should not have confidence in a system that allows the loser to become president. In the 21st century people must be trusted to elect their own leaders. Congress' first action when it convenes in 2001 should be to pass a constitutional amendment ensuring that the popular vote winner will be president. The states, three-fourths of which must ratify the amendment for it to go into effect, should move swiftly to do so.
In the meantime, it would be foolish, given the follies in election projections committed by the news media last night, to predict or speculate on who will win either the Electoral College or the popular vote.
But let this be said: If it does come down to a case of the loser in the popular vote winning in the Electoral College, that man, if he has any honor and truly believes in democracy, must ask his electors to throw the election to his opponent. The people deserve no less than a right and true verdict.
The editorial board, appointed by the editor and listed above, is the institutional voice of the Stater.