Election Integrity

Imagine you're back in the 8th grade and it's time to vote for class president. There are 35 students in the class. Bob gets 25 votes, and Jim gets 10. But the next morning, the teacher announces that Jim is the new president. When the students complain, the teacher explains that all the students in the 3rd row voted for Jim, and traditionally, votes from the 3rd row are worth triple the other votes. So the final count is now 25 for Bob and 30 for Jim.

That's the Electoral College.

Now it's the next year, the same two guys are running, and everyone in the 9th grade is prepared. They persuade most of the 3rd row students to vote for Bob. Bob gets 30 votes, and Jim gets 5. Even with the triple-vote system, it's 30 for Bob and 15 for Jim. But the next day, the teacher announces that Jim is the president. When the students complain, she explains that a new rule allows her to throw out votes she doesn't like. Her final count is 1 for Bob and 15 for Jim.

That's the new "election integrity" law Republican state legislatures are trying to impose.