If maintaining the Electoral College is such a good idea, why haven’t states adopted it in the election of their governor? Certainly, there are many states whose elections are dominated by large cities. Why hasn’t it been adopted for the election of members of Congress?
The truth is that NO jurisdiction anywhere in the country has thought that the electoral college is worthy of adoption.
Remember that the Constitutional fathers were dominated by the landed gentry. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington were all large land owners. They restricted voting to men who owned land, thus attempting to preserve their landed gentry power, which lasted until the election of Andrew Jackson. Recall that Jackson’s first campaign was thrown into the House of Representatives to decide, and though he had a plurality of votes, the House members selected JohnAdams for president.
The Electoral College is about as undemocratic an institution as there is and ought to be abolished. In every other election in this country a plurality decides the outcome, and so should it decide who is president.
Steve Wolf
Juneau
