America’s Presidential Crisis of Legitimacy: How the Electoral College Became Obsolete and How We Can Fix It

The goal of this thesis is to critique the current American Presidential electoral system, the Electoral College, and to show what an alternative could potentially mean for the American people. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: What are the main arguments for the Electoral College, why are they troubling, and how can we mend American Presidential elections for the greater purposes of political equality, democracy, and freedom? To do so, core arguments made by conservative pundits in favor of the Electoral College are outlined in order to bring attention to their logical, political, and moral inconsistencies. The inequalities highlighted by these pro-Electoral College arguments require a multifaceted solution; outlined is one such solution that enhances universal suffrage and democratizes the electoral system in order to legitimize Presidential authority. Regardless of its implementation, it is undoubtedly concluded that the Electoral College exemplifies a public interest in inequality, undermines the legitimacy of Presidential authority, and stands only as a mere symptom of a much greater problem at hand