Letter: Time for debate on Electoral College

Now that the latest presidential election is behind us, with the winner officially determined not by voting majority but by Electoral College votes, the time has come for a full, open, and thorough debate about what purpose the Electoral College serves.

Twice in recent memory, the winner by popular vote count goes home while the winner by Electoral College vote count goes to the White House. First, Al Gore won by the tiniest of margins (remember those hanging chads?), and now Hillary Clinton by more than 2 million votes.

Without myself having thoroughly considered the pros and cons of the purpose the Electoral College serves, I tend to believe on principle the majority should rule, and that the Electoral College is a political anachronism best done away with by constitutional amendment. Pros and cons? Let’s hear them.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Letter: Time for debate on Electoral College."