Slate on the Electoral College, 2012 vs. 2016

■ The pieces

• Slate: "In Defense of the Electoral College" — Richard A. Posner (2012-11-12)https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/11/defending-the-electoral-college.html
• Slate: "The Electoral College Is an Instrument of White Supremacy—and Sexism" — Mark Joseph Stern (2016-11-11)https://slate.com/human-interest/2016/11/the-electoral-college-is-an-instrument-of-white-supremacy-and-sexism.html

■ What they show

A week after Obama's 2012 re-election, Slate ran Judge Richard Posner's case for keeping the Electoral College, which listed practical benefits such as certainty of outcome and pushing candidates to campaign nationally. Days after Trump's 2016 Electoral College win, Slate ran a piece arguing the system grew out of slavery and still gives extra weight to white and male voters.

■ The other side

The two pieces were written by different authors (a federal judge writing as a guest in 2012, staff writer Mark Joseph Stern in 2016), and Slate publishes argument pieces, not one editorial line.

■ Why it's here

This exhibit is filed under Subversion, not graded as a lie. What subversion means →