Remarks from Tara Ross Defending the Electoral College

In recent times, some commentators have disparaged the Electoral College. Last week on ABC-TV’s “The View,” panelist Joy Behar referred to the Electoral College as “un-American.” Is that accurate?

Constitutional scholar, Tara Ross, is a mother, wife, writer, and retired lawyer. She is the author of The Indispensable Electoral College: How the Founders’ Plan Saves Our Country from Mob Rule and Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College. I have interviewed Tara Ross on my radio show about the electoral college. For my weekly, I asked if Tara Ross would provide me a statement on the idea that anyone would called the Electoral College “un-American.”

She told me (in an email dated 5/19/24): “The Electoral College is directly established by our Constitution and reflects the most basic principles of America’s founding charter. If the Electoral College is ‘un-American,’ then so is every other constitutional institution. Our Constitution creates a government that is a blend of democracy (self-governance), republicanism (deliberation & compromise), and federalism (national vs. state authority) because our Founders sought to ensure that the American government reflects all voices, despite our diversity and despite the varying sizes of our states.  The Electoral College is a reflection of these principles and simply ensures that large states and urban areas don’t tyrannize the rest of the country when it comes to selection of the President. Calling the Electoral College ‘un-American’ is nonsensical.  If anything, the Electoral College is uniquely American.”