The New York Times quietly issued a major correction to an editorial attacking the electoral college in December, admitting it has in fact defended the electoral college at a time when it was politically expedient for Democrats.
The electoral college was ratified as part of the U. S. Constitution on June 15, 1804. It was the Twelfth Amendment.
One simple reason for using the electoral college is that if popular vote was used presidential elections would be decided by only voters in a very few states. You would need to live in one of the more populous states such as California, New York, Massachusetts, or Illinois for your vote for president to matter if the electoral college was abolished.
The report on the New York Times stunning reversal on use of the electoral college can be found here.
More in-depth reasons why we need the electoral college can be found here.
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