Editorial: To protest or not to protest

When the electoral votes were cast and Donald Trump was chosen to be the next president of the United States, thousands of people across the country took to the streets in protest shouting calls like “he’s not my president” and “Trump has got to go.” Given how polarized this election was, this should come as no surprise. There has not been an election this controversial in recent memory, some people even equating this presidential race to that of 1860’s, when Lincoln was elected. The fact that this year is being compared to one that sparked the Civil War, is nothing good and should be cause for concern. With such strong feelings, it was inevitable that we would have seen protests from one political camp or another, regardless of who won. However, since Trump got the Whitehouse, it has been liberals who took to the streets, voicing their fears and frustrations. However, the protests will not change who will be leading the country. Trump will be our president and he’s not going anywhere.

It’s understandable why people don’t like the idea of a Trump presidency. During the election, his demeanor was anything but presidential and the media certainly painted him as an authoritative figure. It was for that reason that many people cast their votes for Hillary, even though they don’t completely agree with her policies nor could they condone the fact that she lied under oath. People were voting for her simply because they were afraid of Trump. Although, she lost. Trump won the majority of electoral votes, which means that he will become the next president of the United States. If you voted, you’ve already done all you can. Protesting can do nothing now but waste your time and make American liberals seem childish and immature, as well as hypocritical.

Before Election Day, many Democrats voiced their concern that Trump might not accept the results of the election, certain of a Clinton victory. However, when the news came down and the Republican Party had triumphed it was felt as a serious blow to anti-Trump voters, resulting in people protesting and becoming the very thing they were afraid of in the first place. Even Hillary herself accepted the results, Obama as well. The leaders of the Democratic Party have recognized that the election is over and are stepping aside for the greater good of the country. As admirable as it is, continuing to protest will only perpetuate the division among Americans.

In actuality, the idea of protesting the Electoral College is rather a vain one at best. While it’s true that we have a right to voice our opinions under the Constitution, that does not necessarily mean that the government must or can to listen to them. Throughout our history, we have protested things we didn’t like and saw as unjust or morally wrong. It was the basis for the entire Civil Rights movement, a movement that actually managed to uproot a lot of the prejudice laws present at the time. Protesting worked there because the government was in a position to change, they had that power. People protested the Vietnam War, the war in the Middle East, even the Civil War. However, the difference between now and all those wars in the past is that our government could to decide to do things differently. While it’s true that technically the Electoral College could change its decision when the votes are counted on December 19, they simply won’t do that.

To understand why, you first have to understand how the Electoral College works. The second vote on December 19 is more ceremonial than anything and stands to reiterate the voices of the states. Each state representative casts their vote based on the popular vote of that state, and while it is possible that they could go against the wishes of their people (and in some cases they have), that still won’t have a lasting effect on this election. The reason being that political parties can practically always vet out electors who they feel don’t represent the wishes of their respective states. Even if an elector was however to defy their state’s popular vote and cast a ballot for Hillary, they would not only be contradicting the wishes of their state but also their entire established party. It would be committing political suicide to do so, and even though not all representatives are completely pro-Trump, all have promised to affirm the wishes of their states, regardless of personal views.

However, with the fact that Hillary was barely able to win the popular vote, many people in the United States are trying to call an end to the Electoral College as a whole. While on paper, this may seem like a decent idea, as it theoretically puts power back into the hands of the people, rather than electors, the results would actually be the opposite. If there was no Electoral College, heavily populated states like California and Texas would have even more power. If the president was elected with only a popular vote, candidates would only need to go campaigning in regions where they already have a majority. Lowly populated states such as Wyoming and Alaska would have an even smaller voice than already have. Also, if something were to happen with a vote from the Electoral College, the problem could be solved without much difficultly with a simple recount. Think about the crisis that would follow an entire recount in a solely popular vote based election. In truth, the Electoral College does much more to make presidential elections fair.

Rather than protesting or calling for the dissolution of the Electoral College, those who are afraid of Trump’s policies and want to help keep liberal policies in place, there are several organizations that could use your assistance. An article highlighting them was recently written on jezebel.com and here is the URL: http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-women-pro-immigrant-pro-earth-anti-big-1788752078. Protesting won’t get Hillary in office and trying to dismantle the Electoral College will hurt the country in the long run. If you really want to help, support these organizations.