Does the Electoral College protect small states? Would campaigns ignore small states if we abolish the Electoral College?
In a word: no. To begin with, the Electoral College does not force candidates to focus on small states. The best example of this is the 2000 election. How much attention did either major-party candidate pay to small states? With a few exceptions (New Mexico, West Virginia, Arkansas, Maine, Iowa), the answer is: very little. Instead, Gore and Bush focused almost exclusively on “toss-up” states, regardless of their size. This is a by-product of the Electoral College’s winner-take-all system (which is actually a matter of state laws). There is no reason for a candidate to focus on a state where one candidate already has a significant lead. Even if states like Texas (which was obviously “safe” for Bush) or Massachusetts (clearly “safe” for Gore) have millions of undecided voters, it is inefficient for candidates to spend time or money in these states because Gore will not win a plurality in Texas, and Bush will not win a plurality in Massachusetts. The result is that between 10 and 15 “swi
