Why We Need (but Need to Reform) the Electoral College

For defenders of the Electoral College as a mode of selecting the President of the United States, the worst-case scenario happened in the election of 2000. Because of the idiosyncrasy of the Electoral College, the loser in the popular vote won the presidential election. The inevitable calls for an end to the Electoral College began immediately after the election with Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) leading the charge. Critics of the Electoral College maintain that it is archaic, a constitutional appendage left over from America’s founding when communication and transportation made direct election of the president impractical. Why, they ask, should the United States keep such a relic in the information age? Critics of the Electoral College insist that it is undemocratic since it is possible for the winner of the popular vote to... [read full story]