Pros and Cons of Leaving the Electoral College?

[Del Tachi]

One negative consequence of abandoning the electoral college would be the idea that a national popular vote is incompatible with our federal system for three reasons:

(1)  Voting laws vary tremendously from state-to-state.  Laws concerning registration, voter I.D., and early/absentee voting are all enforced on the state level.  Under a national popular vote, campaigns would target states with easier voter registration requirements, laxer rules on early voting, etc.  While not necessarily a problem, it definitely flies in the face of the argument that several NPV supporters make saying that "all votes should count equally".  

(2) A close election could mean chaos.  Under the electoral college system, problems in tabulating votes only impact the results in a single state, which minimizes such problems' effect on the national result.  While the Florida fiasco in 2000 was certainly problematic, it would pale in comparison to a situation under a national popular vote where only a few thousand votes separated the top candidates.  In such a scenario, either campaign could lawyer-up and go "vote shopping" in states/precincts with friendly judges willing to order recounts, discount affidavits, etc.

(3) A national emergency could lead to a unresolvable election dispute.  Imagine a situation like Hurricane Sandy where a large event displaces millions of voters around election day.  Under the current system, disruptions such as these are unlikely to cause gridlock because their effects are limited to a specific state(s) that, individually, is unlikely to determine the national winner.  Under a national popular vote, the situation becomes much different, with the way that the elections are held in these areas having national implications.  Once again, the election outcome would be much likelier to end-up in the hands of judges thanks to legal mumbo-jumbo.