Why We Need the Electoral College by Tara Ross presents a decidedly conservative view on the subject. Ross does make some great points. But overall, she presents arguments in favor of the Electoral College according to its rules. Sometimes she claims how the EC is better than the popular vote, or other outside influences, but mainly her arguments are based on the inner structures and configuration of the EC, and her arguments are therefore circular.
She is a member of the Federalist Society, who adhere to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. A strict interpretation of the constitution is an inherent contradiction, as all readings of a document are an interpretation. Interpretations are always changing, as she points out; for many times the EC has changed with the times. She also whitewashes the EC’s more dramatic failures, like the Election of 1876. This is like painting a face on a baboon’s rear and calling the likeness a super-model.
Once upon a time Senators were not elected directly. That was changed, and the Senate did not collapse. My sense is that our republic can survive the retirement of the EC. Only those who treat the Constitution as a religious document, like Ross, will lament its passing.
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