Wegman: I first became aware of how the Electoral College really functions and dysfunctions back in 2000, when, for the first time in anybody’s living memory, it split between the popular vote and the Electoral College. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.įree Press: Why did you start to look more deeply into the Electoral College? What possibility for change do you feel like there is having spent time working on a book on the Electoral College? He joined the Free Press via Zoom on Monday, November 16th for a Q&A about his new book, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College. There have been around 800 attempts in Congress to amend or abolish the Electoral College since the founding of the country, according to Jesse Wegman, a writer and journalist, and member of the New York Times editorial board since 2013. Abolishing the Electoral College is the keystone reform that must be accomplished to improve our politics Wegman shows that this once-lofty goal can be achieved, and charts a path to accomplishing it'- Provided by publisher.The Electoral College confirmed Joe Biden as president on December 14 after a contentious post-election period fraught with disinformation about the election results.īut the Electoral College itself has always been a contentious aspect of our electoral process. Wegman addresses objections from both sides of the aisle and presents an airtight argument that moving toward a national popular vote would reduce voter apathy and political polarization, increase voter turnout, and restore belief in our democratic system. He uncovers the Electoral College's controversial origins, profiles the many attempts to reform it over the years, and explains why it is now essential for us to remove this obsolete system and finally make every citizen's vote matter.

In Let the People Pick the President, New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman makes a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College, and choosing presidents based on a national popular vote. The message from the American people is clear: we need major reform, and we need it now. Political passions are already high, and they will reach a boiling point as we enter the 2020 race. Two of the last five elections were won by candidates who lost the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire electoral system into question. 'A radical spirit of change has overtaken American politics, making once-unthinkable reforms-like abolishing the Electoral College-seem possible.

Jesse wegman book