The Electoral College Needs to be Replaced

Most of my arguments will more be about why the E.C. is bad and limiting my arguments to a proportional system. The Electoral College has lost its purpose: First, the Electoral College has lost its original purpose of representing smaller states. To see a modern example of this, we can look to the top toss-up states from 2012 and 2016: Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri. What do all of these states have in common? They have more than 10 Electoral College Votes, while there are few toss-up states with less. In 2012, the 4 top states in campaign spending are included in the list above. Smaller states are left behind while big states are deciding elections. Wasn't everyone saying Trump had to win Florida (29 E.C. votes) to have a chance of winning? Next, the reason the Electoral College was put in place was to protect against poor popular opinion. By now, though, 30 of the 50 states have instituted laws which bind electors to their constituents pick. That 60% of all the states, well enough for a majority itself, a poor presidential leader could easily be selected, as some say Trump was. Now, some positives of change: Winner-take-all The US is a representative democracy. That's known, so why does our election system not represent equally? The winner takes all system of the current E.C. fails to represent everyone equally, and we can again look to our big state friends for this. Florida has a diverse population, with a rural Panhandle to the bright cultures of Orlando and Miami. All this is represented by 29 Electoral College Votes, which usually comes down to a few suburban voters. This is not a representation of everyone, only a few people. With that said, a proportional system of allocating votes would be wise because it solves for many of the current problems. Equal Representation A proportional system would help provide equal representation and show the true will of voters by distributing a more realistic result. Take Texas: Known as a usual safe Republican state, Texas' 38 Electoral College votes usually go to the Republican candidate, but in reality, Texas has a large Democratic base. Instead of a 38-0, unequal result, Texas would've gone 20 for Trump and 17 for Clinton, that's a lot closer than most would expect (the extra one would've gone to Johnson, just showing how true of a representation it is). The proportional system helps restore the original intent of representative democracy. Small States Matter As mentioned earlier, the Electoral College fails to represent small states as originally intended. But a proportional system would allow for small states to have equal representation by making them a part of the conversation, you have to focus on these smaller states to assure that you win their Electoral College Votes, because every vote counts now, you can't rely on California's 55 or Texas' 38 to win you 270. Why Democrats and Republicans Agree Change Is Needed The reason both parties should agree with this type of thinking is very clear for both parties. Republicans: Always against the popular vote, the system is not a reality and is a reason I'm specifically not advocating for it. Republicans have lost the popular vote in the past 3 elections, and its only getting worse, especially with the rise in Hispanic voting population in many key states such as Arizona and Florida, which are needed to win in the current Electoral College System. But a proportional system would allow Republicans to stay competitive in states they are quickly losing ground in and therefore still be able to some influence. Democrats: President Gore, President Clinton. With a proportional system, this would've been a reality, not a revenge fantasy. A major reason why this didn't happen was the group of "Red Wall" voters in the South and Midwest preventing Democrats from winning key states. Democrats would be able to expand their voter reach to their base "hidden" by the large Red Wall, such as in Texas. The winner take all system especially hurts Democrats, a proportional system would allow them to retain the presence of their base.