(ConservativeInsider.org) – US citizens elect a president through a process called the Electoral College. Rather than voting directly for a presidential candidate, citizens actually vote for party electors, who then vote for the President. This fascinating system was written into our Constitution as a compromise between two conflicting motivations.
One group wanted future Presidents to be chosen strictly by popular vote, while others knew small, less-populated states would get overlooked through that process. So, smaller states wanted Congress to elect the next President.
Out of this disagreement, the Electoral College was born:
Through this process, it is possible that a president can lose the popular vote but win the election. This has happened five times in US history, including the 2000 election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore and the 2016 election between now-President Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
This system is said to keep the tyranny of the majority at bay. Rather than presidential candidates simply campaigning in cities with large populations to win the majority vote, the Electoral College forces them to listen to and fight for the small states, too.
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