Oswego college students are asking, ‘What is the electoral college?’

OSWEGO, NY — Students at SUNY Oswego gave mixed answers when asked if they knew what the electoral college was and what purpose it serves. Some students gave absolute no’s while others wanted to say yes but still fell short when it came to being confident in their answers.

“I’d like to think I do…yes I do,” said Paul Baidy, a senior at SUNY Oswego.

He and the other students are not alone though. According to a recent Gallop Poll, a majority of American voters are unsure about what the electoral college does.

Dr. Lisa Glidden, Professor of Politics at SUNY Oswego, gave an explanation of where the electoral college got its start and what its original purpose was.

“The electoral college reflects at the time, when the United States constitution was written, when there was a lot of fear of the tyranny and passions of the majority and so the electoral college system was set up so that everyone would go out and vote and delegates would represent their states and sort of pass along the popular vote for the president,” said Glidden.

Glidden understands why individuals are confused when it comes to the electoral college.

“I think a lot of people are unclear about who the delegates to the electoral college even are and how they get chosen and it’s a function of our democracy that’s inherently anti-democratic, and it definitely is more republican in the sense we are a republic,” she said.

Only four times in United States history the popular vote has lost to the electoral college, the most recent being in 2016 when Hillary Clinton secured the popular vote, but Donald Trump won the electoral college and became president.

Despite the confusion and general dislike of the electoral college, implementing a new system would be difficult as the United States constitution would have to be amended which requires a lengthy process. Glidden wanted to remind voters that what they write on their ballots determines what the electoral college votes, so it is still important for everyone to get out to the polls.