Barbara Headrick, League of Women Voters ND, president, Fargo

The North Dakota Legislature is considering a resolution (SCR 4013) proclaiming support for the Electoral College, our system for electing the US President. Under this system, a candidate doesn’t need to get the most votes to win. Indeed, five times in our country’s history, the presidential candidate with the most votes didn’t take office. Their opponent won with fewer votes, but a majority of the Electoral College.

When you vote in the presidential election, you are voting for a slate of “Electors,” usually selected by the political parties, who cast votes for a presidential candidate after the state’s election results are finalized. Collectively, these Electors across the country are called the Electoral College, and a presidential candidate needs at least 270 of these electoral votes to win the presidency.

Presidential candidates have won elections while losing the popular vote because most states have a winner-take-all electoral system. The candidate who wins a majority of the state’s votes is awarded all of the state’s Electoral College votes.

That’s why there is such intense focus on battleground states. Presidential candidates don’t need to persuade voters nationwide; they simply need to strategize winning those 270 Electoral College votes.

The convoluted way we elect our president through the Electoral College is not direct democracy, and it’s not representative of the people. The League of Women Voters supports getting rid of the Electoral College system and moving to the direct popular vote of the US President. The candidate with the most votes should win.