If a popular vote is required to become president, Bill Clinton would never have become president because he never won the popular vote.
More importantly, the popular vote is heavily in the urban areas of the country, and does not protect against the city dwellers telling the rest of the country who should be president. That’s why the constitution calls for an electoral college.
You are quite right. Maryland has now allowed itself to be held hostage to vote fraud in Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle.
And you also have a great point about plurality winners. Even France has a runoff.
Things could really get interesting if the popular vote starts getting significantly split in more than two directions.
“does not protect against the city dwellers telling the rest of the country who should be president. That’s why the constitution calls for an electoral college.”
Basically, yes. Thank you!
(But it’s actually to protect ANY “small place” from being lorded over by any “big” place.)