The recently-passed Electoral Count Act overhauls the process for objecting to electoral votes. The bipartisan bill is designed to close loopholes that could lead to another Jan. 6-type incident that disrupts the electoral count process. Despite the new law, some still think the Electoral College is outdated and should be abolished in favor of a national popular vote system. Straight Arrow News contributor John Fortier argues that the Electoral College is flawed but still the better option.

States are important parts of the American electoral system. States have different modes of voting. The Electoral College encourages candidates to win the popular vote in states, which is consistent with the importance of states and the decentralized election system. 

Imagine if we did away with the Electoral College. We would have to do away with the ability of states to have the types of voting that best fit their state’s political culture. Today, some states have all voting by mail. Others have photo ID requirements, voting machines, hours and days of voting regulations on registration… all differ from state to state. With a national popular vote, states would no longer have the ability to set their own voting rules. 

Also, we have safety in a decentralized voting system. We have elections run in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Some of those states are controlled by Republicans, some by Democrats. If we had one party in charge of a national election, the losing side would likely complain that all election decisions went against them. Similarly, foreign actors seeking to disrupt our election could focus on one national system. Today, those who might seek to undermine our system have to find ways to undermine elections in multiple states. 

Finally, there’s good news on some of the issues around January 6. In an earlier video, I discussed possible changes to the Electoral Count Act to improve the counting of the electoral votes on January 6. Those changes were passed into law at the end of last year. While it will not fix all problems in two areas, it will make a difference.