Pew Research: Most Americans Favor Removal of Electoral College System

Two contentious elections in the U.S. were decided by the Electoral College in the 2000s. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans are favoring a shift towards a popular vote system.

The survey reveals that 65% of U.S. adults believe that the president should be elected based on the nationwide popular vote, while one-third still support the existing Electoral College system. This sentiment remains consistent with public opinion from the previous year, though the support for using the popular vote has grown over the past few years.

The current Electoral College system has witnessed instances where the winner of the popular vote did not secure enough Electoral College votes to claim the presidency, notably in the 2000 and 2016 elections, won by George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively.

Partisan views on this issue highlight a stark divide. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents overwhelmingly support transitioning to a popular vote system (82%), while only 47% of Republicans and Republican leaners share this view. Notably, Republican support for a popular vote system has increased from 37% in 2021 to 47%, marking a significant shift.

Among Democrats, there is unity in favor of the popular vote, with 88% of liberal Democrats and 77% of conservative and moderate Democrats supporting this change. In contrast, ideological differences are more pronounced among Republicans. A majority of conservative Republicans (63%) prefer to keep the current system, while moderate and liberal Republicans lean towards a popular vote (63%).

Age also plays a role in shaping opinions. Younger adults under the age of 50 are more inclined to support changing the system (69%), whereas those aged 65 and older are less enthusiastic, with 58% in favor of change.

Interestingly, political engagement significantly influences views on the Electoral College, particularly among Republicans. Highly politically engaged Republicans predominantly support retaining the Electoral College (72%), while those with moderate engagement are split (51% in favor of the current system). However, a clear majority of Republicans with lower levels of political engagement (70%) favor transitioning to a popular vote.

In contrast, Democrats exhibit less variability in their views based on political engagement. About eight-in-ten Democrats with low (78%) and medium (82%) levels of engagement favor changing the system, along with 86% of highly engaged Democrats.

The debate over the Electoral College system remains a contentious issue, with differing views based on political affiliation, age, and political engagement. As the nation continues to grapple with this issue, it remains to be seen whether there will be any significant shifts in the way presidents are elected in the future.

Click here to review the report and graphs that illustrate our summary.