Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College

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The veteran journalist presents "an illuminating history and analysis" of the American electoral system-and a bold call for change ( Kirkus). The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? The Electoral College creates a false picture of a country divided into red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. In every election, tens of millions of Americans-Republicans and Democrats alike-find that their votes don't matter, and that only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. In this authoritative and persuasive call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board ...