Its been 3 weeks, and many of us are still trying to grasp what it will look like, having Donald J. Trump as president. Many people, including myself, are terrified because of what he has said during the presidential campaign and who he associates himself with.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemon-aide. Trump won. That doesn’t mean the fight is over. This could be a very good thing for our country. The wake up call we so desperately needed. So let’s be thankful, and look at all the bright outcomes that could possibly happen because of this unexpected win.
I started this post as a “Thank God Trump Won the Presidential Election”. However I dive into detail each of the reasons I’m thanking God, so I’m turning this into a 5 part series.
Part 1: Re-examining the Electoral College
Twice in my lifetime, the person who got more votes lost. More votes… equals… not the winner…
So what is this crazy system? Here is a video that talks about the electoral college and the history of it. I found this video non-bias, but since I’m a “liberal”, and it is impossible to be non-bias, I’ll add a video that is “pro electoral college”.
And here is a video from PragerU, a well known conservative platform, explains the electoral college (and is obviously for it).
Because Donald Trump won only the electoral college, and Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more then two million votes, discussions are coming up on whether or not we should keep the electoral college. And because of Donald Trump’s inexperience and racist and sexist actions, conversations are coming up about using the electoral college the way it was designed, and encouraging them to vote for Senator Hillary Clinton.
Should We Urge the Electorates to Vote for Hillary Clinton?
Good News! Legally It Is Possible For the Electorates to Not Vote Trump
Could it happen? According to FactCheck.Org, yes, it is possible, but elections experts say it won’t happen. Maybe these are the same election experts that had people believe Trump would never win? A girl can dream, can’t she? Not only that, you’d be surprised of the power of people and their voices. History is currently in the making.
Are you afraid of a Trump presidency? Would you like the electors to use their legal rights to choose an alternate candidate? While it is unlikely enough electors will go “Hamilton”, and it is our probably almost certain future that the 270 electors needed will vote Trump if no action is taken, it does not mean that it is impossible.
If we take no action, you can bet nothing will change. However, there are many actions you can take if you want change!
Join the Hamilton Electors Movement
Sign up for #HamiltonElectors let your voice be heard. Here is a great video they put out on Facebook that talks about what they are all about.
Update: It has been pointed out to me that Hamilton Electors is a GOP (the Republican National Committee) organization. First thought, run! (Trump is a GOP candidate). However, they are a stand for NOT having Trump in office.
They are suggesting that both Democrats and Republicans change their electoral vote to a responsible candidate who is not Trump. Hillary Clinton supporters are worried they won’t get Hillary Clinton elected.
At this time, I’m not worried about getting Hillary Clinton elected. I’m looking at stopping Trump. This is a way we can work together to stop him!
If he doesn’t get the 270 votes needed to win the presidency, then the House of Representatives will pick the President. I have a feeling they won’t pick Trump!
Sign the Change.org Petition
[button url=’https://www.change.org/p/electoral-college-make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19-4a78160a-023c-4ff0-9069-53cee2a095a8′ target=’_blank’ icon=’iconic-pencil’]Sign Petition Now[/button]
Daniel, who is taking on this short term project full time right now, created a great video that explains why he started the petition and why you should sign it (if you agree with him of course!)
More Actions to Take Now
Electoral College Petition website has a great list of actions you can take right now in order to stop Trump. This includes connecting online, protesting, making phone calls, and writing letters. There is also a GoFundMe account that they are fundraising with in order to drive the petition.
[button style=’red’ url=’https://electoralcollegepetition.com/calendar/#gs.c96=eMs’ target=’_blank’ icon=’iconic-location-inv’]Find a Protest in your City[/button]
There is tons you can do to make a difference!
Want to keep the electoral college? I’d recommend starting some sort of petition, and/or doing the same actions as above, just using your voice to be in support of it.
Should We Keep the Electoral College?
While we may not be able to change the way we pick the president this round, we can change it for future elections if enough of us are behind it. You can either be for, or against changing the electoral college. Here are the two arguments.
For Electoral College: Smaller States with Less Population Should Have a Larger Voice
Against Electoral College: Each Person Should Have the Same Vote and the Same Voice, No Matter Where They Live
I personally think, in this day and age, people are informed enough to make a decision about who is to be President. I think you will get more people voting then the 28.5% if the presidential election was based on the popular vote, and I believe in one person, one vote.
While it may seem like there are more red states than blue states in some maps, population wise there were more people who voted for Secretary Clinton then who voted for Trump. You can see this clearly in the 3D map and other maps on this site that show various visual ways of representing numbers. The 3D map below is my favorite.
Margin of Victory by County 3D Map
This does mean that the majority of us wanted Hillary Clinton, and most likely the majority of us do not want the electoral college.
There are various arguments why the electoral college is good. You can find arguments why it is bad. Ultimately, you have to decide what you think is best.
Good News! We Can Change The Electoral College If We Want To
I get it, you are one person. How can you make a difference? It is amazing how one person becomes two, becomes three, and with the Internet, I say you don’t even need to leave your home to make a difference!
While we may be able to change the outcome of this election, even if we don’t, we will be able to make a change so this will never happen again.
Together we can make a difference. From what I see, there are more people who do want to change the electoral college then those who want to keep it. So let’s get out there and have our voices heard!
Don’t agree the electoral college should be changed? Then I encourage you to do the same thing in order to get your voice heard!
Support the National Popular Vote (NPV) Movement
Our constitution can be amended. It is a bit difficult though. However, the National Popular Vote (NPV) Movement has found a loophole.
If you are interested in using this loophole to use the national popular vote, use this link to write to your representatives and join the National Popular Vote movement. Even if Trump does become our president, if you think the electoral college is unfair, we need to work on changing it now.
Engage in Discussions with Friends
I know that in America we like to be polite, and being polite includes not talking about politics. I say the time to be polite is over. Its time to be real.
Discuss the electoral college with friends. What do they think? Do they agree with you? Why? Do they disagree? Why?
My husband believes the electoral college is a good thing. I don’t agree with him. Agreeing to disagree is ok. Not touching on the subject at all is avoidance. Which isn’t healthy.
So, yes, I am thankful for having Trump win and giving us the opportunity to re-examine the electoral college and decide as a nation if that is really how we want to run our republic.
What do you think? Are you for the electoral college or against? Do you think electors should go Hamilton, or do you think they should vote for Trump?