The electoral college system was established in the Constitution to extend representative democracy to the election of the president. Each state selects electors equal to its number of senators and representatives who then vote for the president. If no candidate receives a majority, the House of Representatives decides. There have been increasing calls to replace this system with a national popular vote, with some states enacting laws to award their electoral votes to the nationwide popular vote winner. However, others argue this would eliminate representative protections and make the election more susceptible to the votes of an uneducated majority.

1. The electoral college was originally instituted
by the Constitution to extend the protections
of representative principles to the election of
the Executive.

2.  Each State Legislature was to decide a
method by which to designate Electors
numbering the sum of their Senators and
House Representatives.
 The sole purpose and interest of this
representative body of Electors was to
determine and nominate by closed and
independent ballot the best candidates
for president.
 Each Elector selected two prospects.

3.  The closed ballots were to be transmitted
to Congress to be opened and counted in
the presence of both houses.
 If an individual was nominated by the
majority of the Electors that person would
be the President.
 If more than one, or no individual has a
majority, then the House of
Representatives votes on which will be
President, each State having one vote.

4.  The 12th amendment requires
separate electoral ballots for the
president and vice president.
 In the election of 1800, Thomas
Jefferson and Aaron Burr each
received 73 electoral votes. The
House of Representatives had to
vote 35 times until on the 36th
ballot Jefferson won.

5. 1804 – Each state determined how to
choose electors. Initially, electors
selected by State Legislatures.
By 1860 - All states have decided to
choose electors by direct popular
vote.
Trend begins towards “winner-take-
all” electoral votes as the 2 party
system emerges.

6. Each party puts up a “slate of electors” –
a list of individuals loyal to their
candidate.
Individual electors appeared on the ballot
but this confused voters.
Today, the expression “Electors for . . . “
usually appears in fine print on the ballot
in front of each set of candidates.
48 States have the winner take all rule for
the Electoral College (Nebraska and Maine
are exceptions).

7.  There is no federal law requiring electors to
vote as they have pledged, and over the
years a number of electors have voted
against the instructions of the voters.
 29 states and the District of Columbia have
laws binding electors to the popular vote
winners, but most constitutional scholars
believe that electors remain free agents and
that such laws would not survive
constitutional challenge.

8. Alabama
Alaska
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
*District of Columbia
Florida
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
South
Carolina
Tennessee
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
*The 23rd Amendment gave 3 electoral votes to the
District of Columbia, even though it is not a state.

9. Arizona
Arkansas
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Minnesota
Missouri
New
Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Texas
West Virginia

10.  Between 2001 and 2008, bills
were introduced in every state in
the country to change the
process for selecting electors.
 Most of the bills proposing
changes to the Electoral College
that have passed were
introduced in the last six
years. They would adopt the
National Popular Vote Compact.

11.  If enough states adopt the Compact so
that their electoral votes constitute a
majority (270), the Compact would take
effect. Under the provisions of the
Compact, in any participating state, all of
the state's electors would be awarded to
whichever candidate wins the national
popular vote.

12. The bill has been enacted by 13 jurisdictions
possessing 181 electoral votes — The bill
will take effect when enacted by states with
89 more electoral votes.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee
the Presidency to the candidate who receives
the most popular votes in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia.

13. The protections of representative principles to
the election of the Executive would be
eliminated and a pure democracy would
choose who would be president.
It is easier to win the votes of an uneducated
majority through expensive advertising
campaigns and promises than to convince a
few electors who are well-versed in
Constitutional principles and have been
charged to study each candidate in-depth.