The Founding Fathers Did Not Trust You: A Look at the Electoral College

September 30

David McKay, senior lecturer, History

Every four years, like clockwork, the American political system melts down over the Electoral College, a body the Founding Fathers imposed between voters and the president when they wrote the Constitution. No other elected office in the United States has such a cumbersome and counter-intuitive method of determining the winner of elections, and no other elected office routinely ends up seeing the loser of the popular vote sworn into power – something that has happened with more than 10% of all American presidents. The fact that this institution exists at all is a testament to how much the Founding Fathers did not trust you, the common voter, to select the winner of the highest office in the land without getting it wrong. And the fact that most Americans have no idea why it exists or how it works (or doesn’t) tells you just how much things have changed since the late 18th century. As we head into what will no doubt be another hotly contested presidential election, join us to explore the origins and mechanics of this misunderstood institution.