Let me educate you for a minute.
Creating the Electoral College
To understand the origins of the Electoral College, one should look at life and politics in the United States in 1787.
- The country had only 13 States, which until 1776 had been separate colonies. The founders believed that State loyalties could trump the best interests of a national government and that it would be difficult to elect a candidate with national prestige. If a candidate was required to win States instead of just popular votes, however, it would be more likely that he would have wide-ranging support outside his home State. This was a concern for smaller States that feared the domination of the presidency by States with larger populations.
- Support for popular elections was not universal. While some delegates to the Constitutional Convention argued for the popular election of the president, others believed that the public should have a much smaller role.
- The logistics of a national popular election in 1787 would have been daunting, even for a country of only four million people.
Today's Electoral College looks surprisingly similar to the one used in George Washington's first election to the presidency. The only time the structure of the Electoral College was modified by amendment was in 1804. All other modifications to the original version of the Electoral College as outlined in the Constitution were accomplished through Federal and State statutes. Addition-ally, the 23" Amendment, enacted in 1961, provides the District of Columbia with three electors.