The manner of electing the president posed a problem at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Convention delegates rejected the proposal that Congress elect the president, because it would violate the principle of separation of powers. As a compromise, the convention adopted a method of indirect popular election, which became the Electoral College. Historical anomalies occurred in the 19 th century when three candidates became president who had lost the nationwide popular vote. The three were John Quincy Adams in 1824, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, and Benjamin Harrison in 1888.
Some states have legislative restrictions on electors.
Historically in most elections, the candidate who won the highest number of a state's popular votes received all the state's electoral votes. However, seven electors in the 20 th century have voted for another candidate. Connecticut electors have never done so and a faithless elector has never changed the outcome of an election. Because the Electoral College was established by the U.S. Constitution, any change in its operation or its elimination requires a constitutional amendment. In the current 106 th Congress, one resolution proposes to amend the Constitution to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct popular election of the president and vice president.