The Electoral College
For years I have bemoaned the use of the Electoral College when electing a president. Now here I am agreeing that it is not only an excellent solution to a problem our forefathers forsaw at the start of the republic.
They understood that a presidential candidate could appeal to voters in only a small number of states with large populations, completely ignoring small and medium population states. This would allow a candidate to be elected by a limited number of states and the states with small and medium sized populations would be excluded from the process.
The introduction of the Electoral College meant that candidates now had to appeal to a majority of the 13 states in order to get the necessary Electoral College votes and would truly have been chosen by voters across the 13 United States.
If there is one drawback to the system, it is that even the smallest states, population-wise, get 3 votes even if there total population doesn't warrant it. But given the alternative, it is still a very wise solution.
11/8/00
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