So let me back up a minute. Michael Dugas of Pasadena said the choice is obvious. My district sent me to vote for George W. Bush. Voters at the polls, though the ballot said Bush or Gore, were actually voting for slates of electors pledged to those candidates. The electors who win vote Dec. 18.
Big states have more votes, small states less.
Every year, a few electors and political scientists complain that it's outdated, but the new president wins so decisively that arguments are beside the point. This time, though vote counts are still being fought in court, the popular-vote winner may beat the electoral vote winner. Electors from small states particularly cling fast to the college. You'd just have people in California, Florida and New York City vote. Bush took many of the nation's smaller states, as well as big ones like Texas and Ohio.