There have been five U.S. Presidents who received the popular votes for U.S. president and didn’t end up winning the election.

In both 2000 and 2016 Al Gore and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and lost the presidency through the Electoral College, a system that first came about during the 18th century. I did not vote for either candidate, however I think the system needs to change. This is egregiously wrong.

New York has 28 electoral votes, California has 54, Texas 40 and Florida has 30 as an example. A candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. The United States has a total of 528 electoral votes.

Each state receives electoral votes equal to its total congressional (Senators and Representatives) delegation. Since all states have two Senators and a minimum of one congressional district, the fewest number of electoral votes a state can have is three. How many electoral votes a state receives or losses is determined by the census that is done every 10 years.

There have been at least 700 proposed amendments to change or abolish the electoral college. None have been successful as of yet. Here are the pros and cons of changing the Electoral College voting process.

The Pros have argued the Electoral College ensures that all parts of the country are invoked in selecting a President. The Electoral College was created to protest the voices of the minority from being overwhelmed by the will of the majority. The Electoral College can prevent calls for recounts, or demands for run-off elections.

The Cons have argued that the Electoral College gives too much power to the swing states and allows the presidential election to be decided by a handful of states. Others say the Electoral College is rooted in slavery and racism. And still others say Democracy should function on the will of the people, allowing one vote per adult.

The number of congressional districts in each state is determined by its Census population which is done every 10 years. The last Census was in 2020, the next will be in 2030. Once each state’s Census population is finalized, a calculation (called The Method of Equal Proportions) generates the new number of districts for each state. Since the number of districts is fixed by law at 435, states essentially gain or lose representation (and electoral votes) based on population change relative to the total change in population for the country.

Both Pro’s and Con’s reasoning seem to be tenuous and specious at best. The system is outdated. There should be one person one vote. It’s time to abolish the Electoral College. After 250 years of this system it’s time for a change. One person, one vote.

Bruce Piatz is a Jamestown resident.