U.S. Constitution

• During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, delegates debated how Americans should elect a president. Some wanted Congress to choose the president of the United States, while others argued that the people should elect the president directly. James Wilson, a delegate from Pennsylvania, proposed the Electoral College as a compromise between these two positions.
  
  

Purpose

• The idea behind the Electoral College was that educated citizens, serving as electors, would make an objective choice for president on behalf of the American people. Some Founding Fathers feared that an unchecked democracy would lead to mob rule, and the Electoral College was a way to place restraints on democracy without repudiating it completely.
  
  

Process

• At first, the state legislatures chose the electors who in turn elected the president. By the late 1820s, a direct popular vote selected electors in all states except South Carolina. Electors no longer vote according to personal conscience but now abide by the results of the popular vote in their particular state.
  
  

Pros

• The Electoral College is an ongoing source of controversy to Americans. Those in support of it argue that it prevents narrow interests from dominating presidential elections and, in doing so, maintains the two-party system, which is the best way for achieving consensus.
  
  

Cons

• Detractors contend that the Electoral College is undemocratic, and criticize that it can result in the election of a president who lost the popular vote as was the case in 1876, 1888 and 2000 when Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison and George W. Bush were elected, respectively.