This would be a mistake of monumental proportions.
While they were by no means perfect, our founding fathers were very wise men. The understood the importance of constructing a system of government in which power was decentralized and drawn from the consent of the governed. The developed a unique system -- the Electoral College -- which, in my view, ensures that a wide range of states' voices are heard when it comes to selecting our president. I believe the Electoral College is unique in that it ensures that densely populated metropolitan areas cannot force-feed their electoral choices on the rest of the nation. The Electoral College ensures that a president must be able to garner support throughout the nation, not just in a few highly populated corners whose values are out of alignment with the rest of our nation.
Don't these idiots understand that the EC is part of the Constitution?
To change to the poopular vote, they must amend the Constitution...and that takes approval by 2/3 of the 50 states?
Stoopid silly people who don't remember their HiSkool civics class...
Dumb stupid demokrats...
True enough, but it is not why the EC was instituted. The purpose of the EC was the same as the provision for Senators to be picked by State legislatures: The President was NOT intended to be answerable to the undifferentiated mass of people, but to the States. And in fact, as late as 1824 there were States which chose their electors in the state legislature, without a popular vote for president at all. It is all a part of the federal design of the republic. The senate and the Presidency were to be responsive to the needs of the several States, only the House was to be a public assembly representing the people directly. Remember, the President was supposed to be much less important than he is today, because he merely presided over a limited federal government which was intended to be much less powerful than it is today.