Mr Senator,

After being informed of the United State's combination othe the electoral college and election by popular vote, I was asked wether or not we should keep the electoral college or change the election to just a popular vote. I thought about this for a while and I believe the electoral college is beneficial to the results of the election.

We are Americans. We can be innovative and change the world but we can also be lazy and uneducated. While most Americans are informed about the election and who is running, Mickey Mouse is still the most popular write-in on the ballot. Why not have a group of citizens who represent our state and party have a say in who should be president? "..each party slects a slate of electors trusted to vote for the party's nominee" (Source 3). The electoral college is a group of sofisticated men and women who do this as their job. While the average American is tending to family, working or watching tv, their electors are learning the viewpoints of the presidential nominees and deciding wich one they think would be the best leader of our country. Why would it be anything but harmful to our country if we got rid of it?

I understand that you might be saying that voters don't vote for the president and electors overrule the popular vote. Electors are just an easier and more equal way of distributing the votes and electing a president. Only in rare cases has the electoral vote overruled the popular vote. Have you ever thought there might be a reason behind that though? Assuming the government isn't majorly corrupt and the elections are fixed, wouldnt you think that the slate you voted for should be trusted? Maybe they know something you don't or have witnessed the candidates actions in the past that could've swayed their vote. Citizens are keen but they do not know everything that goes on behind the scenes.

The Electoral College makes sure that there is a transregional appeal. Not one area can overrule the other votes. This is very important because it evens out the votes and reduces risks of a split country who doesn't want to follow a president elected by the South. Popular vote alone doesn't do this. If we just go by who was the most votes from citizens then If there is ever a great divide in which party want which president it could also lead to a divide in the country itsself. This could even lead to a civil war and make these 50 states not-so united. The fact that we have a system to keep order doesn't mean that we should get rid of it just because people want their write-in ballot of a cartoon character to mean more.

Keeping the Electoral College is necessary for the unity of our country. We should trust our slate of electors to vote the way we want them to. If they don't, the blame shouldn't automatically be put upon them. Since we elected the trustworthy slate, shouldn't we believe they have the best interest of the country and their party in mind? The Electoral College should stay as it is. This system keeps order, balances votes, and 99% of the time it works.

Sincerely,

High school student    