Why Not  
      a Popular Vote?   

   Disgruntled Democrats, seeing that Hillary Clinton received 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, call for elimination of the Electoral College. Sounds nice, but they forget that Bill Clinton lost the popular vote in 1992. 
He won by the Electoral College, served eight years, and laid a foundation for his wife to build her ambitions upon.

   The Constitutional Convention compromised between a popular vote and a vote by Congress only. To avoid potential corruption, rule by larger states, and political bargaining, they settled on the Electoral College: Article II, Section I. 

   Each state has one elector for each senator and representative in Congress, based on population. An amendment provides three votes for the District of Columbia, considered a state for this purpose only. Government employees are not eligible to be electors.

   So, what's the big deal?

   There are a total of 538 electoral votes. Half of that is 269; therefore, 270 or more votes decides the winner. 

   Only 11 states - from California, 55, to North Carolina, 15 - account for 268 votes. With one more state, any state, they could carry the day. Since these top 11 don't all lean the same direction, other states come into play, as happened in 2016.

   Suppose we go to a popular vote. Again, the population of the largest 11 would carry the most weight. But unlike today, candidates would campaign and spend money in all those largest states, because there would be no "winner takes all." 

   Presidential candidates don't bother with California or New York, because Democrats are the heavy majority and all electoral votes always go to their candidate. In a popular vote, both parties - and their promises - would be all over California and other biggies with their enormous population, to the disadvantage of your state, perhaps. 

   California, New York, Texas, Florida and the other seven populous states would dominate the campaign. Further, there are more registered Democrat voters than Republican. That's why they want a popular vote. 

   Think your votes - and your issues - don't count now? Consider the alternative. 

       Jimmy