Diversity

And now for something entirely different. – Monty Python

(Side note: I’ve always wanted to use a Python-esque quote. So glad I get the chance – since we all really need something different along about now.)

Currently, there are various calls and petitions to abolish the Electoral College often by the same people who value and celebrate diversity. In case you are wondering about either the Electoral College or about how to amend the U.S. Constitution here are a couple of pretty good links: Electoral College – Facts & Summary and Constitutional Amendment Process.

So now that the educational part of this post has been completed, let’s get to the meat of what I’ve been thinking about.  Right now the call to amend the Constitution and eliminate the Electoral College is in response to the 2016 Presidential election, ostensibly because the (preliminary) overall popular vote went to one candidate and the Electoral College vote is presumed to go to the other (it is not yet the Monday after the second Wednesday in December but that is mostly a formality at this point). If the Electoral College was eliminated and we went to overall popular vote instead of popular vote within a state, the most populous areas with the greatest homogeneity would likely determine the outcome of our national election because they could agree.

I’ve read several articles claiming part of the problem is that rural areas are not as enlightened as the urban areas, that the rural areas are largely white and (ahem) uneducated. Having lived in both urban and rural areas over the course of my life, there is both truth and falsehood in that assumption. First, let me acknowledge that rural America frequently does not have the race and ethnic diversity urban America does. So the ability to interact with “different from me” is often a bit limited. On the other hand, urban America does not have the environmental, energy-chain, and food-chain diversity that rural America does. (And yeah, I know some of you are going to quarrel with that. But not all rural areas are white or uneducated either.)

Second, uneducated is a pretty pejorative term.  If what you mean is college-educated then let’s just say that; I can tell you that eighteen percent of rural inhabitants have college-educations (vs 32% of urban inhabitants). But assuming that having a college education makes you less racist, sexist, or any other “-ist”, is stereotyping and quite frankly wrong.

Third, just so we are clear here, according to the 2010 US Census, 80.7% of Americans live in urban areas vs rural areas. So this is not actually an urban vs rural conversation. Just as there is a diversity between rural and urban, there is also a diversity within urban areas.

Each area of the country brings with it different experiences, different points of view, and different needs.  Different things matter in different ways and to varying degrees in different areas of our country.  The differences inform us all if we will let them.  If we remove the Electoral College, we silence a significant part of our country and the diversity that becomes woven into our election process. A diversity of voices needs to be heard and in my humble opinion, the Electoral College allows for that. Even when we don’t like the outcome.