"If the president were elected by simple majority vote then small states would be overpowered by large states. Thanks to the electoral college the interests of small states are protected."

Okay but... what are the "interests of small states"? Do small states have a consistent set of certain political interests that are clearly distinguishable from the interests that big states have? Do people who live in small states categorically believe or care about different things than people who live in big states do?

Conservatives like to talk about "small states" as if that isn't a category that includes both Vermont and Wyoming.

    • eduardog3000 [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      I think the argument against a popular vote is that they'll only campaign in big cities.

      The fact that they currently only campaign in swing states is the counterargument.

      • star_wraith [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Right, the electoral college doesn't mean presidential candidates will care about small states (when's the last time someone campaigned in Vermont), but rather they campaign only in states that are "up for grabs".