Why America doesn't elect its president by popular vote. The Electoral College was designed as a compromise between large and small states — and between those who trusted popular democracy and those who feared it.
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Highlights
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The Electoral College was designed to limit democracy, not facilitate it
The Founders created the Electoral College partly because they didn't trust ordinary citizens to choose wisely. It was designed as a filter between the people and the presidency.
Institutions designed for one purpose get repurposed by later actors
The Electoral College was designed for a nation of 4 million. It now serves a nation of 330 million — and the distortions of the original design have been amplified, not corrected.