President 2012 Poll Watch: 62% of Americans Would Scrap the Electoral College

Nearly 11 years after the 2000 presidential election brought the idiosyncrasies of the United States’ Electoral College into full view, 62% of Americans say they would amend the U.S. Constitution to replace that system for electing presidents with a popular vote system. Barely a third, 35%, say they would keep the Electoral College.

This majority is probably not sufficient for Congress to amend the Constitution though. And, even if the Congress did, I would doubt that three quarters of the states would ratify the amendment.

A popular vote system for the Presidency give a disproportionate amount of weight to large states and urban communities where there is more population. This inequity is what the Founders wished to avoid and why they chose the Electoral College in the first place.

With 62% of Americans today in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, Americans show relatively little attachment to this unique invention of the country’s Founding Fathers. The system was devised as a compromise between those who wanted Congress to select the president and those who favored election by the people, and it has resulted in a highly state-based approach to presidential campaigning.

Those who advocate abolishing the Electoral College often do so on the basis that the system puts undue emphasis on a small number of swing states. Whether Americans as a whole are concerned about that byproduct is unclear. However, they broadly agree that the country should adopt a system in which the popular vote prevails. While Republicans are less supportive of this than Democrats, 11 years after the 2000 election politicized the issue, the majority of Republicans once again favor the change.