[ContraryMary]

Therefore if 20 candidates run for the president, and the winner has only 20% of the national vote, that means that we’ve somehow improved things by putting a grossly unsupported person into the White House?

Been there, done that. Bill Clinton was elected in 1992 with 42% of the national vote.

[xzins]

But he had to win a majority of the Electoral College votes. The same with George Bush and every other president. The electoral college system encourages fewer parties.

It also gives a voice to less populous states. Otherwise, they would always be ignored. As it is, their small number of electoral votes makes a big difference. In fact, they can be the deciding difference.