|
The problem with electoral voting is that it can deny the will of the majority of citizens.
The problem with popular voting is that it can deny the will of 49% of citizens.
With both systems, the will of whole groups of people (states, races, people in rural areas, the lower class, etc.) can be overwhelmed by the desire of the majority (or near-majority sometimes in the electoral case).
The main problem I see is not how we vote (although I support a popular vote in our current times) but what government does. Government does not exist to determine a preference for an in-demand set of people and to provide that group with unnecessary, often expensive, and sometimes counterproductive benefits. A government should be such so that no matter who wins an election, the winner has limited power to make changes that would hurt one group at the expense of another, except in cases that overwhelmingly support the national interest with minimal detriment to anyone (as opposed to measures that support the interests of just people who voted for you). Pork-barrel spending and the like should be recognized as the corrupt practices they are.
|