The creation of America is one of the most unique and interesting processes to study in historical context. In a time of oppression and conformity, a nation was born based on the ideals of self-expression, self-determination and freedom. To this day, we Americans continue to exercise the rights our ancestors died for in order to “create a more perfect union.” Or us? One right fought for and which can almost singularly be described as the cause of the Revolutionary War is the right to self-representation, or the right to vote. Even though an immeasurable amount of blood has been shed to put this right in the hands of the people, the percentage of the population who voted in the last presidential election barely exceeded half of the voting age population, or 54, 9% (Statistic Brain). Among many reasons, the Electoral College is partly to blame. Because of its patronizing nature, its role in decreasing voter turnout, and the fact that it creates the possibility of discrepancies in presidential elections, the Electoral College should be restructured to become more conducive to modern American politics. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In early American society, education was reserved for rich, white men. At that time, it was more important and lucrative for children to help their parents on the farm than to concentrate on their studies. For this reason, literacy rates were much lower than today. To ensure that an informed decision regarding the presidency was made, the Electoral College was created. However, education in America has improved dramatically since our beginnings, starting with the first compulsory education law passed by Massachusetts in 1852 (Race Forward). This marked the beginning of a long movement in which we began to prioritize the growth of our minds over the growth of our cultures. (Run forward). Not only have we become more educated, but we have also become much more politically savvy. Americans have many more ways to follow presidential elections. Media coverage and speculation about future presidential candidates begins almost immediately after the current election. All you have to do is turn on your favorite news station or radio station to hear about the candidates and their platforms. Certainly, these news channels tend to have political biases. For example, Fox News is notoriously known as a right-wing news channel, while CNN tends to have a very liberal orientation, but having news outlets like these is a big improvement over political circulation virtually non-existent when the Electoral College was created. Between news channels, publicized debates, and radio talk show hosts, we are much more politically informed and are perfectly capable of choosing the president ourselves. Yet, given that we receive enough political information to make an informed decision when choosing the president, the first step in restructuring the Electoral College is to remove its precedence over the popular vote. The popular vote is a direct representation of the people, and since our education and exposure to politics have proven its value to us, we should be given this authority. If the electoral college and the popular vote changed places in termsimportance, then the presidential elections would truly be in the hands of the people and not in the hands of a few voters. This eliminates the historical idea that the typical American is not politically savvy enough to choose the president and gives them more incentive to vote. As mentioned previously, voter turnout in the last presidential election barely reached more than half of the voting-age population. In fact, according to the 2012 census from the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, America ranks 120th out of 169 countries for which voter turnout data has been collected (LiveScience). The low voter turnout can be attributed to many reasons, such as the difficult process one must follow to register. Another fact is that the United States is one of the few democracies that holds national elections in the middle of the work week, and since voting in America is voluntary, we could, like other democracies, impose small fines their citizens who do not vote (LiveScience). Even if all of these reasons are true, Americans' willingness to endure these inconveniences might increase if they felt like their vote actually mattered. Certainly, this mentality has a lot to do with Americans' feeling that their single vote is unlikely to make a difference among many others. However, political apathy also contributes, which the Electoral College perpetuates. Lyle Scruggs of the University of Connecticut says, "Because only a few states are competitive, most presidential campaigns dump money in 10 swing states and spend almost no time campaigning in the other 40" (LiveScience ). In other words, presidential candidates are focusing heavily on states like Nevada and Florida in the hopes that their electoral votes will reach them while virtually ignoring other states that historically are the opposite of their party or have little electoral value. This phenomenon can make voters feel like their vote doesn't matter, making them less likely to vote. When it comes to restructuring the electoral college, the next step would be to give each state an equal number of electoral votes. A counterargument might be that the more populous states may not be proportionally represented. However, if we assume that the popular vote carries more weight than the Electoral College, then this is not a factor since ultimately each person represents themselves. . If each state receives an equal number of electoral votes, presidential candidates will be more likely to focus on the United States as a whole rather than focusing heavily on swing states. This will help voters feel like their individual vote is just as important as those in Nevada and Florida and will surely increase voter turnout. The final reason the Electoral College should be restructured is to avoid discrepancies in presidential elections. Thanks to the Electoral College, a candidate can become president without winning the popular vote. In a country structured “for the people and by the people,” this seems like a blatant violation of our fundamental values. A striking example of how the Electoral College can leave an election shrouded in uncertainty would be the presidential race between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. The race was fought entirely in the state of Florida, which was first given to AL Gore, later named too close to name, and finally given to George W. Bush (Digital History). Many other disagreements have surrounded the issue."