The experience has been riveting and unnerving, but it has also revealed the strength of our democracy. At the same time, this election highlighted the pivotal and seemingly anachronistic role played by the Electoral College. Many people are shocked that this little understood process may have trumped the popular vote, as it did three times in the 19th century.
Reform is in the air.
Before we start tinkering, however, we must understand the reasons underlying the present system. The Electoral College was created before universal suffrage, when voting was reserved for elites. Smaller states fared better in choosing the chief executive because each state's electoral votes are based on its total number of House and Senate representatives. That extra boost may not seem significant until you remember that even if he holds Florida, Governor Bush will have only one vote more than needed in the Electoral College. The enduring genius of the Constitution was to unify the nation while also preserving state and regional influence.