Now that Donald J. Trump is elected and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been defeated, there will be lots of negative talk about the electoral college. The electoral college is a body of people from each state that formally elect the President based off the popular vote from their state. There are 538 electoral votes and 270 are needed to win. This election, Clinton won the popular vote by narrow margins but Trump won because of his sizable win in the electoral college. Many people who voted for Clinton will want the electoral college to be abolished because even though she received the most votes throughout America, she will not be President of the United States. Nevertheless, the founding fathers created this system for a purpose.

The electoral college can not be abolished because it elects a candidate that is truly for all Americans, even if that candidate that does not win the popular vote.

One of the major reasons the electoral college was created was to make sure that the president elected does not just have regional support. Without the electoral college, a President could focus all of their time on one region or multiple states with heavy population amounts to be elected. The electoral college forces candidates to visit smaller states, battleground states and new regions in order to get them to the magic 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

For example, a candidate could campaign in the South and rack up a tremendous amount of votes. The electoral college prevents this candidate from easily winning because they missed out on electoral votes from the rest of the country. While the candidate could have picked up 100 percent of the popular vote from the South and secure the national majority of votes, the electoral college can prevent this candidate from being President. This is extremely beneficiary because it forces candidates to think of all Americans, not just one type.

Not only are regional differences protected, but candidates must appeal to minorities to seek the 270 needed votes. Minorities tend to live in larger cities throughout the country. The minority vote can tip the electoral vote in certain states. Candidates must vouch for minority support if they want a better shot at winning the election as a result of the electoral college.

The founding fathers were a smart group of men. They made the electoral college in order to yield the candidate that truly represents all Americans. Our system of electing presidents can not become obsolete. Any candidate that reaches the 270 votes is truly someone who is by the people, for the people and with the people of the United States of America.