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The Electoral College is under attack because it matters. Presidential elections determine who will direct federal agencies and appoint judges, but the process also shapes the rest of American politics. The Electoral College forces parties to build broad coalitions. It protects the power of states to run their own elections. And it contains disputes in individual states, making recounts and election contests much easier to sort out.

Get rid of the Electoral College and big cities will gain power at the expense of everyone else. Political party coalitions will break down, encouraging fringe parties and spoiler candidates. In a more crowded field, a candidate could win with a small plurality. Differences among state election laws and an increased risk of fraud will lead to even less trust.

Hundreds of proposed constitutional amendments to get rid of the Electoral College have failed in Congress, but now a campaign to hijack the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote has gathered momentum.

All this would surprise the Founders. Both the Federalist architects of the Constitution and their Anti-Federalist opponents found the Electoral College a reasonable way to select the President. In the ratification debates, the Anti-Federalists barely mentioned it at all. Alexander Hamilton, writing in The Federalist Papers, said of the Electoral College, “if it be not perfect, it is at least excellent.”

To learn more about the Electoral College, visit ElectoralCollege101.com. 

This article is adapted from the Encounter Broadside book, Why We Must Defend the Electoral College, by Trent England.