Feature  

Moving beyond the Electoral College

At an Ash Center symposium on Electoral College reform, Congressman Jamie Raskin makes the case that the US should finally move to a direct popular vote for selecting presidential winners.

Congressman Jamie Raskin speaks at an Ash Center conference on the Electoral College

With the fall campaign season just months away, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are mapping out their general election strategies – most of which target the handful of competitive swing states needed to vault either candidate over the critical 270 Electoral College vote threshold. While tens of millions of Americans will head to the polls in November, only a handful of swing states, split by a few thousand voters, are again likely to determine the results of what may be the most consequential presidential election in memory.

For voters living outside of those swing states, their vote, and their voice are ultimately of little consequence in determining the next president of the United States. “The vast majority of Americans live in safe blue states or safe red states,” said Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a constitutional scholar who has used his perch as a member of the House Judiciary Committee to advocate ditching the Electoral College system for choosing presidents. “It marginalizes the vast majority of Americans, including primarily everybody in this room.”

Raskin, speaking at a conference sponsored by the Ash Center examining the future of the Electoral College, was deeply critical of the current system for formally selecting presidential winners. “It’s an accident waiting to happen every four years. I mean, Jefferson himself called it an ink blot on the Constitution. And so, it’s always been recognized that it’s dangerous and dangerously unstable.”

Watch the Recording


More from this Program

Conservatism and the Future of Democracy
Mike Pence and Stephen Richer.

Commentary

Conservatism and the Future of Democracy

When former Vice President Mike Pence visited Harvard’s Institute of Politics for a discussion on “The Future of Conservatism and American Democracy,” he was introduced not just by a moderator, but by a longtime friend and admirer — Ash Center Senior Fellow Stephen Richer. A former Republican officeholder, Richer has often cited Pence as a personal role model for integrity and constitutional fidelity. Their friendship added a layer of warmth and sincerity to an evening that balanced deep ideological reflection with a spirit of civility and mutual respect.

Trump Targets Domestic Terrorism, James Comey Indicted
Terms of Engagement

Podcast

Trump Targets Domestic Terrorism, James Comey Indicted

Archon Fung and Stephen Richer speak with Alex Whiting, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and an expert on criminal prosecution.

More on this Issue

Why I’m Excited About the White House’s Proposal for a Higher Ed Compact
College students throwing graduation caps in the air with an American flag background.

Commentary

Why I’m Excited About the White House’s Proposal for a Higher Ed Compact

Last week’s leak of the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” drew intense reactions across academia. Critics call it government overreach threatening free expression, while supporters see a chance for reform and renewed trust between universities and policymakers. Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, director of the Democratic Knowledge Project and the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, weighs in.

Setting the 2025-26 Agenda for the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation

Commentary

Setting the 2025-26 Agenda for the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation

Amid rising illiberalism, Danielle Allen urges a new agenda to renew democracy by reorienting institutions, policymaking, and civil society around the intentional sharing of power.