Dear reader, I value your time just as much as you do so I’ll keep it simple: 

(Feel free to skim through the bolded parts if you’re in a rush)

What is the issue? 

Currently, our state—along with forty-seven other states—uses a winner-take-all style of distributing our electoral votes, meaning that when one party gains a majority of the state's popular vote, they receive all sixteen of our electoral votes*. That could work with states where a large majority of them are aligned with one party, but Georgia is special; it’s one of seven swing states within our nation, meaning that both parties have similar levels of support in the state. Meaning that when one party wins the popular vote*, they receive all electoral votes and the voices of our citizens from the losing party are silenced. Take the 2024 election, for example; the Republican Party won by a small margin of 2.2%, and as a result, the opinions of over two and a half million voters weren’t considered. And keep in mind that this “advantage” for the Republicans can turn on them at any moment; if the Democrats were to win the upcoming 2028 election, that would mean the millions of Republican voters would also be ignored. What kind of democracy do we have if half our voices fall on the deaf ear of our government?

How do we fix it? 

Though forty-eight states use the winner-take-all system, two exceptions make use of a different method. Maine and Nebraska use a congressional district voting system meaning the winning party receives two votes from their senators and the rest of the votes are divided based on who won in each congressional district. By switching to that system, the losing party will still be considered and we can have a state that—instead of just voting for what one party wants—votes for what the people want. 

What about the possible Gerrymandering issue?

One of the most common concerns about the congressional district voting system is the fear of Gerrymandering*. It is true that to implement such a system we would need to redistrict our state and that could pose a risk of gerrymandering taking place. However, we can learn from an example set by other states that have found solutions to that very problem. California decides its redistricting borders through its Citizens Redistricting Commission consisting of 5 republicans, 5 democrats, and, 4 unaffiliated, this allows for a fairer redistricting process that circumvents the threat of gerrymandering and allows us to safely implement the congressional district voting system.

To express other concerns or ask questions don’t hesitate to email me at: ridwanmir.13@gmail.com

Definitions: 

1. Electoral votes: A total of 538, these are the votes that decide who is chosen to be the president, Georgia has 16.
2. Popular votes: the direct, total count of individual votes cast by citizens across an entire state for a candidate
3. Gerrymandering: deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to give one political party an unfair advantage. 

Sources: 

2024 election results in Georgia:

https://www.politico.com/2024-election/results/georgia/

More info on California's Citizens Redistricting Commission:

https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/california-redistricting