Dear Mr./Mrs. Senator,

In light of previous research I've done on the Electoral College, I would like the opportunity to voice my opinion on how the voting system should work in this country. Based off of the information acquired and with the best interest of the country at heart, I believe that the system should be changed to the election by popular vote for the president of the United States.

First and foremost, when voters vote, they aren't really voting for their candidate, but a slate of electors, which in turn elect the president. Don't you think that this method is a little impersonal? As well as the matter of possibly having one's chosen candidate not win the presidency-even when they've won the popular vote- as a result of losing the electoral vote. According to 'The Indefensible Electoral College: Why even the best-laid defenses of the system are wrong', the best argument against the electoral college is what we call the disaster factor. The system allows room for crisis; technically state legislatures are responsible for picking electors, who could always defy the will of the people. An example, would be in 1960, when segregationists almost succeeded in replacing electors of the Democratic party with new ones who opppesed John F. Kennedy; as well as the case of some faithless electors refusing to vote for their party's candidate and pick whomever they like.

Another valid reason as to why the system of voting must be changed to popular vote is due to the unfair winner-takes-all way the electoral college works. In most cases, candidates do not see all states as important, only those they think they have a shot in winning over. A way to look at this, according to 'In Defense of the Electoral College: Five reasons to keep out desspised method of choosing the President', is that a regional favorite, such as Mitt Romney in the South during the 2012 voting, has no incentive to campaign in states outside of the region because he gains no electoral votes. However, this is also a disadvantage, for he cannot expand his popularity to other regions of the country. If he does so with the new popular vote system, winning the presidency will be guaranteed. Neglecting voters that are potential supporters of one's campaign is, in my opinion, the worst way to go about winning.

In summation, the Electoral College should be replaced with a popular voting system. I assure you that even though this system might have worked in the past, but in the ever changing world of politics, some things have to be done away with, and the Electoral College is one of them; with holes in the way the system works and outcomes that could possibly do more harm than good leave the Electoral College with nothing more to offer the future of this country. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

A skeptical citizen