Dear Senator,

The robust political system of the American government is greatly hindered by the Electoral College. The Electoral College isn't completely representative of what citizens really want. History will prove such logic with just a simple recollection of past events. "Back in 1960, segregationists in the Louisiana legislature nearly succeeded in replacing the Democratic electors with new elector who would oppose John F. Kennedy. (So that a popular vote for Kennedy would not have actually gone to Kennedy.) In the same vein, "faithless" electors have occasionally refused to vote for their party's candidate and case a deciding vote for whomever they please."

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Americans are not getting the representation we deserve. In fact, in a democracy, we should be representing our own beliefs, ourselves. The Electoral College must be totally abolished and the popular vote should become the new standard for political voting.

Time and time again, we have been shown that the Electoral College is nothing but a gimmick and "a compromise between election of President by a vote in congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens."

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by the founding fathers. Maybe that had worked in the past, when the population was statistically low compared to today, and citizens were less informed because of the lack of media avaliable, like the internet and television. But, it is not working today. The 2000 election serves as an example of a faulty system. "According to a Gallup poll in 2000, taken shortly after Al Gore--thanks to the quirks of the electoral college--won the popular vote but lost the presidency, over 60 percent of voters would prefer a direct election to the kind we have now."

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Therefore, this is an obvious majority of citizens who agree with me. The Electoral College is almost universally despised, and not considered the most effective way to elect a President.

"At the most basic level, the electoral college is unfair to voters. Because of the winner-take-all system in each state, candidates dont spend time in states they know they have no chance of winning, focusing only on the tight races in the swing states. During the 2000 campaign, seventeen states didn't see the candidates at all, including Rhode Island and South Carolina, and voters in 25 of the largest media markets didn't get to see a single campaign ad."

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This is ridiculous and not at all fair to voters. In this sense, it is absolutely true that every vote doesn't count. Unless you're in a swing state, your vote may mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Every legal American deserves the right to a balanced and fair election with a true, meaningful vote.

Claims by supporters of the Electoral College are not effective. In fact, one writer finds Swing States to be a good thing! Yes, "Voters in toss-up states are more likely to pay close attention to the campaign--to really listen to the competing candidates--knowing they are going to decide the election. They are likely to be the most thoughtful voters, on average...and the most thoughtful voters should be the ones to decide the election."

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Seriously, that is absurd. Every voter should have the right to know they are going to decide the election. This writer is implying that the small state votes are useless, and that the voters in them don't even pay attention to campaigns or research before they vote! As a former resident of a politically smaller-impact state, I know very well that citizens there research thoroughly before they do any voting. Putting thought into a vote isn't just a thing people do in large states.

Maybe it will be that way in the future, because due to the Electoral College, votes there don't even matter anymore. Citizens are losing faith in their expressions of freedom and ability to vote and uphold justice. The Electoral College needs to go, because it makes for an unfair political system that only benefits politicians running, not the average joe."It's official: The electoral college is unfair, outdated, and irrational. The best arguments in favor of it are mostly assertions without much basis in reality."

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Regards,

A concerned citizen.