The Electoral College

Alexander Hamilton (The Federalist Papers):

"the Constitution is designed to ensure “that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” The point of the Electoral College is to preserve “the sense of the people,” while at the same time ensuring that a president is chosen “by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice.”

Now... Before you tell me how the Electoral College REALLY works and why...

Please read about it.  It's not about demographics.  It really isn't.  That plays into it.  A tiny bit.  But ultimately?  Thats such a small part.

There are many facets to it.

Basically, the people decide for their state, but in the most vague sense of the word.  Because the country is, by the large, misrepresented.  Your vote matters slightly, and the state's votes matter slightly, and the country's votes matter slightly, but it's the electors of those states who make the final decision.

Now, it's interesting to note that these Electors?  They are not unbiased.  At all.  This is true of both sides, but when you really break down who these people are...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_electors,_2016

You see some SERIOUS problems.  Some of these people are not only strongly biased... They are deeply involved with the candidates running.  One, for example, worked on the Trump campaign.  Demonized Hillary during the campaign.  Oh, and he has a job lined up if Trump wins.

I wrote him a letter, but what could I say?

"Please give up your guaranteed job by voting your conscience?"

The problem isn't necessarily with the biases... Its that you can't appeal to those who have them.  If a man has something major to gain with a decision in his favor, 2.8 million other people aren't going to be able to sway your opinion.

Therein lies the problem.

When the majority are ignored and we allow judges who lack impartiality make our decisions, we end up misrepresented.

Interesting to note also?  The Electors have particular prerequisites that must be in place before they can be named.  Many?  Don't adhere to them.

The Electoral College was decided by our founding fathers as "training wheels" in a sense.  They decided that a brand new nation could not be completely entrusted with the results of popular vote.

(Interesting sidenote?  When this system was setup?  The popular vote and electoral college never disagreed.  It wasn't until 1824 that it did for the first time.  The vast majority of our Founding Fathers?  They never saw this eventuality come to pass).

We are the only country where the person running (in a Democratic election) isn't chosen by majority.

Your voices are considered, but they aren't represented.

In the end, those who have something to gain and lose make the call.

If you think that's a better system...

Consider one point.

The Electoral College and Popular Vote?  They tend to mesh.  Perfectly.  Its rare that they havent. 

So... If they so rarely disagree...

If we came to the same agreement without the Electoral College?

Why do we need it?

The Electoral College was set up to prevent the exact kind of leader we now have.

An unqualified, intemperate, and untrustworthy candidate.

Read the framework. 

The very reason our founding fathers created it was to avoid what we now have.

http://www.history.com/topics/electoral college

http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_history.php

http://history.house.gov/Institution/Electoral-College/Electoral-College/