[Jacquerie]

Electoral College ping!

[mick]

ping for later study

[The Great RJ]

If the president were directly elected by a tally of the national vote, imagine the chaos in the 2000 election where the US would not have had a president for potentially months waiting for the wrangling over votes, recounts and court challenges that would have spread well beyond Florida. The Electoral College gives certainty to the presidential election and if as in 2000 there were challenges they would be confined to individual states not into a national recount. The downside is on occasion the Electoral College will give the Presidency to the candidate with less of the national popular vote...e.g. the 2000 election.

[Gaffer]

There are many convoluted reasons why Popular Vote proponents will gladly try to deceive you with. Much based on fears of state redistricting, state electoral vote assignments, etc. Some of the arguments </i>sound</i> so convincing. But they are based on supposition, fear, and recent events and fears. I’m perfectly happy with it as it is. It stopped Al Gore. Finally, there is NO way in Cowboy Hell I am willing to let the direction of this country be decided by the roaches in Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago. I want to know what Utah thinks, I want to know what the Dakotas think, and, yes, I even care what the hell Rhode Island thinks (even if I think they’re batshit crazy)....I am not interested about LA, NYC and ShyTown whatsoever!

[Ron C.]

The Electoral College - after quite a bit of tweaking - became the most unpolitical, least corrupt, and (finally) the most popular method of ultimate election.

Its detractors say that it's too complicated, unfair and still corrupt.

Nonetheless it still stands, thankfully, as the mightiest hedge ever devised against total socialism.