But Trump has a problem. Even if he wins over a large number of nonwhite voters, it may not help him secure the presidency. It may, in fact, make no meaningful difference in his quest for 270 electoral votes. Trump is, ironically, crashing into the same roadblock that has stymied Democrats for decades now: The Electoral College overvalues white votes at the expense of racial minorities, giving white voters considerably more influence over the presidential race. Nonwhite voters are distributed inefficiently—for purposes of the Electoral College’s arbitrary geography—in states that are highly unlikely to put either candidate over the top. This [biased and anachronistic](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/us-presidential-election-swing-state-politics-harming-democracy.html) institution is therefore working as the Framers intended: It was designed to give Southern slave states an edge in selecting the president, and today it gives white Americans an unfair advantage over minority voters by inflating the value of their presidential votes. After harming Democrats for so long, this disgraceful feature of the system might actually hurt Trump on Election Day.
That’s a shame. It also posed a problem for him in 2020.
specqq on
She’s going to win by millions of votes.
In any sane system that’s all it would take.
All this article is saying is that the EC might not fuck us over quite as badly as it normally does.
^(Woo Hoo)
naotoca on
The Electoral College is the only reason he could win. It is a massive handicap in favor of the Republican Party and it’s undemocratic as hell.
edit: People, this “we are actually a republic!” shit is tired and lazy. This is not a word game where you see a word and it’s a cheat code to “win”. Your representatives in your constitutional republic are elected democratically.
JubalHarshaw23 on
As soon as the EC stops being useful to them, the Republicans will demand that it be abolished.
PopeHonkersXII on
I’m feeling a bit better these days about Harris’ chances. I feel like getting to 270 won’t be much of a challenge, relatively speaking. The other swing states who knows but simply winning, even if it isn’t all that impressive, seems to be very doable and even likely.
TaxCPA on
Slate, you’re full of shit and writing BS headlines for clicks.
Homer_J_Pimpson on
If Texas went Dem for two straight elections the electoral college would come to an end
Mike_Pences_Mother on
>The system’s more obvious and fundamental problem is that it weighs some votes more than others in the first place. For example, Wyoming has one electoral vote for every 192,284 residents, while California has one for every 732,190 residents—meaning that a presidential vote in Wyoming counts almost four times as much as one in California.
And THAT is bullshit
tipjarman on
“The Electoral College overvalues white votes at the expense of racial minorities, giving white voters considerably more influence over the presidential race. Nonwhite voters are distributed inefficiently—for purposes of the Electoral College’s arbitrary geography—in states that are highly unlikely to put either candidate over the top. This biased and anachronistic institution is therefore working as the Framers intended: It was designed to give Southern slave states an edge in selecting the president, and today it gives white Americans an unfair advantage over minority voters by inflating the value of their presidential votes”
WTF did i just read?
Choice-of-SteinsGate on
If the electoral college was a handicap for Democrats in the same way it is for Republicans currently, the GOP would have tried desperately to abolish it long ago.
If all manner of gerrymandering tactics were more politically advantageous for Democrats, the GOP would be running on an aggressive election reform platform.
If the federalist society was a training and vetting program and power brokering organization that helped install liberals into positions of judicial authority, you better believe the GOP would be using all of its resources to shut it down.
If the national prayer breakfast was a national secular brunch, it would have probably been suspended by now due to all the terror threats…
Republicans try to win elections by subverting them, by sowing distrust in order to justify voter suppression, by making the voting process more tedious, by purging voter rolls more meticulously and selectively than is necessary, by passing laws that grant Republicans more control, legal authority and supervision over our elections.
Democrats try to win elections by getting as many Americans as possible to participate in the Democratic process.
As a result, the Republican party’s M.O. is to challenge and contest election results, is to mount exhaustive legal battles and disenfranchise Americans, is to pass ambiguous laws that afford them broad powers, is to do everything within their authority to suppress the vote and give themselves an advantage.
But if ever they find that it’s red counties who disproportionately suffer from these strategies, who are disadvantaged by these measures, the response will be overwhelming.
ennuiinmotion on
This is a really weird article. It’s so random and pointless. He’s made marginal gains in some groups in states that won’t help him, but also they aren’t enough to win the popular vote.
So…okay?
Give-Yer-Balls-A-Tug on
The electoral college is the most undemocratic system in the US.
raerae1991 on
Good!
ArcticRhombus on
God this is a dumb article.
SeaNational3797 on
I don’t care. It’s still bad
vs-1680 on
The fact that the electoral college is so heavily slanted towards giving sparsely populated rural fly-over states huge amounts of power…is the only reason republicans win the white house. The same absurdly inequitable system tries to give republicans power over the Senate as well.
doublecalhoun on
wrong, the electoral college always favors republicans
if this country were actually a democracy with one vote per person, republicans would never have power
EricsAuntStormy on
The greasy thurd of Americans possess half the political power *by design.*
SWFL_Turtler on
Why would any person of color vote for Trump? Why would any woman vote for Trump? It’s mind boggling
BlurryRogue on
The fact the electoral college is the only one that matters in terms of becoming president is a problem. There shouldn’t be the possibility Kamala could win the popular vote by a landslide and STILL lose to Trump.
ArrowheadDZ on
The EC served a purpose 250 years ago, and prevented a problem that would have occurred. It now, in today’s media and travel enabled era, causes *exactly* the problem it was meant to prevent.
metracta on
Weird…just hours ago I heard many sources proclaim how Trump was taking the lead in the electoral college. Left wing sources at that.
whitepeaches12 on
Is there a percentage of how much easier it is for republicans to win under the electoral college?
Strawberry1111111 on
Why in the goddamn hell would a black person vote for someone who wouldn’t rent to them and why would a Latino vote for someone who called them vermin? What is wrong with people? Has everybody lost their goddamn mind?
JediDroid on
How is the article both against racism and for Trump?
Injest_alkahest on
Can someone start a conspiracy that the electoral college is hurting Republican chances now so they can be convinced to abolish it and we can leave them in the dust bin of history where they belong with other treasonous and failed parties?
OverlyExpressiveLime on
Good. Maybe conservatives will want to get rid of it
DripIntravenous on
I remember seeing someone on twitter call it DEI for republicans lol
LankyGuitar6528 on
So gaining minority votes doesn’t really help him that much so conversely, being horrible and racist doesn’t *HURT* him. And since his base is made up of Nazis and racists it probably helps him.
silsum on
GOP is losing in its own rigged game.
Simba122504 on
It’s the only reason why Republicans win.
maximm on
Right…..
Kind_Relative812 on
These articles speak as if he is aware of what’s going on. Diaper don is blissfully unaware of anything.
34 Comments
Americans of color are apparently [moving to the right](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/briefing/hispanic-black-americans-election-poll.html). Donald Trump is poised to [make historic gains](https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/373535/3-theories-gop-donald-trump-nonwhite-voters-hispanic-black-latino-asian) with nonwhite voters in November, according to recent polling, accelerating the [racial depolarization](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/why-is-trump-still-doing-well-with-black-and-hispanic-voters.html) of the electorate. Polls consistently show that [Latinos are continuing](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/politics/trump-biden-campaign-latino-voters.html) [a significant shift](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/us/politics/latinos-trump-harris-poll.html) toward Trump, who already [received a surge](https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/30/new-trump-poll-women-hispanic-voters-497199) of Latino support in 2020. [Many polls](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/upshot/trump-black-hispanic-voters-harris.html) also show Black voters, [especially Black men](https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/harris-trump-black-men-election-2024-3d07ca3f), [moving away](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/12/us/politics/poll-black-voters-harris-trump.html) from Kamala Harris toward Trump. And [some data shows](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/10/07/korean-asian-americans-georgia-economy-00182370) Asian Americans [drifting rightward](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/briefing/asian-americans-conservative-republican.html), with [support for Democrats](https://www.axios.com/2023/05/31/asian-american-support-democrats-generations) dropping in younger generations especially. Although all three groups still heavily favor Harris, Trump appears to making real inroads, [campaigning](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/us/politics/trump-voters-black-latino.html) for [nonwhite support](https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/15/politics/trump-black-voters-detroit/index.html) to erode his opponent’s edge among groups at the heart of the Democratic coalition.
But Trump has a problem. Even if he wins over a large number of nonwhite voters, it may not help him secure the presidency. It may, in fact, make no meaningful difference in his quest for 270 electoral votes. Trump is, ironically, crashing into the same roadblock that has stymied Democrats for decades now: The Electoral College overvalues white votes at the expense of racial minorities, giving white voters considerably more influence over the presidential race. Nonwhite voters are distributed inefficiently—for purposes of the Electoral College’s arbitrary geography—in states that are highly unlikely to put either candidate over the top. This [biased and anachronistic](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/us-presidential-election-swing-state-politics-harming-democracy.html) institution is therefore working as the Framers intended: It was designed to give Southern slave states an edge in selecting the president, and today it gives white Americans an unfair advantage over minority voters by inflating the value of their presidential votes. After harming Democrats for so long, this disgraceful feature of the system might actually hurt Trump on Election Day.
For more:
[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/trump-electoral-college-edge-shrinks-pennsylvania-wisconsin-polls.html](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/trump-electoral-college-edge-shrinks-pennsylvania-wisconsin-polls.html)
That’s a shame. It also posed a problem for him in 2020.
She’s going to win by millions of votes.
In any sane system that’s all it would take.
All this article is saying is that the EC might not fuck us over quite as badly as it normally does.
^(Woo Hoo)
The Electoral College is the only reason he could win. It is a massive handicap in favor of the Republican Party and it’s undemocratic as hell.
edit: People, this “we are actually a republic!” shit is tired and lazy. This is not a word game where you see a word and it’s a cheat code to “win”. Your representatives in your constitutional republic are elected democratically.
As soon as the EC stops being useful to them, the Republicans will demand that it be abolished.
I’m feeling a bit better these days about Harris’ chances. I feel like getting to 270 won’t be much of a challenge, relatively speaking. The other swing states who knows but simply winning, even if it isn’t all that impressive, seems to be very doable and even likely.
Slate, you’re full of shit and writing BS headlines for clicks.
If Texas went Dem for two straight elections the electoral college would come to an end
>The system’s more obvious and fundamental problem is that it weighs some votes more than others in the first place. For example, Wyoming has one electoral vote for every 192,284 residents, while California has one for every 732,190 residents—meaning that a presidential vote in Wyoming counts almost four times as much as one in California.
And THAT is bullshit
“The Electoral College overvalues white votes at the expense of racial minorities, giving white voters considerably more influence over the presidential race. Nonwhite voters are distributed inefficiently—for purposes of the Electoral College’s arbitrary geography—in states that are highly unlikely to put either candidate over the top. This biased and anachronistic institution is therefore working as the Framers intended: It was designed to give Southern slave states an edge in selecting the president, and today it gives white Americans an unfair advantage over minority voters by inflating the value of their presidential votes”
WTF did i just read?
If the electoral college was a handicap for Democrats in the same way it is for Republicans currently, the GOP would have tried desperately to abolish it long ago.
If all manner of gerrymandering tactics were more politically advantageous for Democrats, the GOP would be running on an aggressive election reform platform.
If the federalist society was a training and vetting program and power brokering organization that helped install liberals into positions of judicial authority, you better believe the GOP would be using all of its resources to shut it down.
If the national prayer breakfast was a national secular brunch, it would have probably been suspended by now due to all the terror threats…
Republicans try to win elections by subverting them, by sowing distrust in order to justify voter suppression, by making the voting process more tedious, by purging voter rolls more meticulously and selectively than is necessary, by passing laws that grant Republicans more control, legal authority and supervision over our elections.
Democrats try to win elections by getting as many Americans as possible to participate in the Democratic process.
As a result, the Republican party’s M.O. is to challenge and contest election results, is to mount exhaustive legal battles and disenfranchise Americans, is to pass ambiguous laws that afford them broad powers, is to do everything within their authority to suppress the vote and give themselves an advantage.
But if ever they find that it’s red counties who disproportionately suffer from these strategies, who are disadvantaged by these measures, the response will be overwhelming.
This is a really weird article. It’s so random and pointless. He’s made marginal gains in some groups in states that won’t help him, but also they aren’t enough to win the popular vote.
So…okay?
The electoral college is the most undemocratic system in the US.
Good!
God this is a dumb article.
I don’t care. It’s still bad
The fact that the electoral college is so heavily slanted towards giving sparsely populated rural fly-over states huge amounts of power…is the only reason republicans win the white house. The same absurdly inequitable system tries to give republicans power over the Senate as well.
wrong, the electoral college always favors republicans
if this country were actually a democracy with one vote per person, republicans would never have power
The greasy thurd of Americans possess half the political power *by design.*
Why would any person of color vote for Trump? Why would any woman vote for Trump? It’s mind boggling
The fact the electoral college is the only one that matters in terms of becoming president is a problem. There shouldn’t be the possibility Kamala could win the popular vote by a landslide and STILL lose to Trump.
The EC served a purpose 250 years ago, and prevented a problem that would have occurred. It now, in today’s media and travel enabled era, causes *exactly* the problem it was meant to prevent.
Weird…just hours ago I heard many sources proclaim how Trump was taking the lead in the electoral college. Left wing sources at that.
Is there a percentage of how much easier it is for republicans to win under the electoral college?
Why in the goddamn hell would a black person vote for someone who wouldn’t rent to them and why would a Latino vote for someone who called them vermin? What is wrong with people? Has everybody lost their goddamn mind?
How is the article both against racism and for Trump?
Can someone start a conspiracy that the electoral college is hurting Republican chances now so they can be convinced to abolish it and we can leave them in the dust bin of history where they belong with other treasonous and failed parties?
Good. Maybe conservatives will want to get rid of it
I remember seeing someone on twitter call it DEI for republicans lol
So gaining minority votes doesn’t really help him that much so conversely, being horrible and racist doesn’t *HURT* him. And since his base is made up of Nazis and racists it probably helps him.
GOP is losing in its own rigged game.
It’s the only reason why Republicans win.
Right…..
These articles speak as if he is aware of what’s going on. Diaper don is blissfully unaware of anything.