Young Voters are demanding the popular vote

Reading Wiretap this past week, I read an article where the young people are demanding the popular vote. Why?

Today's youth are more ethnically and racially diverse than ever before. This unprecedented diversity of Millenial's though is not fully present at the voting booth, because of our antiquated Electoral College system.

and

"In the context of the Electoral College, geography explains some of the reason that this voting gap persists. Born out of American federalism -- a system in which the power to govern is shared between the national and state governments -- the Electoral College was intended to prevent the tyranny of the majority by protecting the sovereignty of small states. But, that also came into existence at the same time that women and people of color (many who weren't 'free' or regarded as citizens!) were not allowed to vote.

The population of today's communities of color are concentrated primarily in uncontested states. While the African American and Latino youth voting blocs are large (and growing, as the case is for Latinos), they are concentrated in several uncontested states, such as Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, California, New York and the District of Columbia among others."

The author argues:

"Retiring the Electoral College and having the popular vote decide the presidential elections will engage more young people of color into politics. 'One person, one vote' means candidates must speak to everyone, not just those in key "swing" states.

Young women, on the other hand, are not constrained by geography -- with a large enough population that is spread throughout all the states and the District of Columbia. As a result, today's candidates have to appeal to them regardless of where they campaign and are now more representative of women's views than in the past."

It is an interesting argument, and one I had not condsidered before. In my world view, the electorial college let's us know who has won by the end of the night. A good example of this is the ongoing primary for the Democrats, who divide delegates based of the votes, a lot like what is being proposed, 1 person 1 vote style, and the Republicans, who divide delegates based off of whole states, like the electorial college.

We have for sometime now had a Republican Nominee, but we are still fighting for our Democratic Party Nominee. And the two candidates are actively reaching out to every group, and every voter.

And, with the popular vote tactic, we would never have had a President Gorge W. Bush.