Elections - Yay or Nay?

Let’s face it, we need elections. The other options include a government where the people do not have a say in politics. Granted, our election system undoubtedly has fundamental flaws. However, the solution is not to completely forsake the system altogether. The solution is to continue working on it until we have it right.

The major flaws in our election system include how it does not appeal to the lower classes and how the Electoral College transforms elections into an indirect process where the populace isn’t truly represented. The former is easily resolved: keep polls open as long as possible (noon to midnight) and make it a national holiday. If we don’t have to work or go to school on Labor Day, then we can make this adjustment for elections. Furthermore, the Electoral College remains important despite its pitfalls because it enables a stable political system. If it weren’t set up this way, then we would be stuck in a vicious cycle where radicals gained the popular vote and completely transformed the country until we later regret it and revolted.

The fact that we can have such a thorough discussion on what is wrong with our current election system proves that we can easily turn the dialogue towards how we can fix these issues. This, ultimately, is the more important discussion.