People blame the electoral college, because operating in its current warped form, it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote, but lose the election. With this in mind, campaigns focus their attention on “Swing States” or “Battleground States” trusting the others to faithfully vote for the designated candidate. (However, it doesn’t always work that way.)
The Constitution never intended for the President to be elected by popular vote. The people were supposed to elect a sort of shadow government (with no ties to the current government) whose sole task was to examine the candidates, and elect the one who was the most qualified. Like a beauty pageant, the runner-up became “Vice President."
Federalist Paper #68 may be of interest. In it, Hamilton proposes what we now know as the Electoral College (although we do not use it as intended.) Hamilton argued that having the people elect the president directly would lead to just the sort of problems we’re seeing.
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0218
❝It was equally desirable, that the immedate election should be made by men most capable of analizing the qualities adapted to the station, and acting under circumstances favourable to deliberation and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements, which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to so complicated an investigation.
It was also peculiarly desirable, to afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder. This evil was not least to be dreaded in the election of a magistrate, who was to have so important an agency in the administration of the government, as the president of the United States But the precautions which have been so happily concerted in the system under consideration, promise an effectual security against this mischief. The choice of several to form an intermediate body of electors, will be much less apt to convulse the community, with any extraordinary or violent movements, than the choice of one who was himself to be the final object of the public wishes. And as the electors, chosen in each state, are to assemble and vote in the state, in which they are chosen, this detached and divided situation will expose them much less to heats and ferments, which might be communicated from them to the people, than if they were all to be convened at one time, in one place.
Nothing was more to be desired, than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their aproaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort with the most provident and judicious attention. They have not made the appointment of the president to depend on any pre-existing bodies of men who might be tampered with before hand to prostitute their votes; but they have referred it in the first instance to an immediate act of the people of America, to be exerted in the choice of persons for the temporary and sole purpose of making the appointment. And they have excluded from eligibility to this trust, all those who from situation might be suspected of too great devotion to the president in office. No senator, representative, or other person holding a place of trust or profit under the United States, can be of the number of the electors. Thus, without corrupting the body of the people, the immediate agents in the election will at least enter upon the task, free from any sinister byass. Their transient existence, and their detached situation, already taken notice of, afford a satisfactory prospect of their continuing so, to the conclusion of it. The business of corruption, when it is to embrace so considerable a number of men, requires time, as well as means. Nor would it be found easy suddenly to embark them, dispersed as they would be over thirteen states, in any combinations, founded upon motives, which though they could not properly be denominated corrupt, might yet be of a nature to mislead them from their duty.❞
The “electoral college” (as we know it) was perverted by taking away the choice of the electors, and giving “the people” the illusion that they were voting for the President. It dates back to when Jefferson lost to Adams in the election to choose a successor to George Washington. Jefferson lost, but his supporters realized that if only all of Virginia’s electors had cast their votes for
him, he would have
won! So, Virginia passed a law, requiring all of their electors to mindlessly vote with the will of the majority.
It has become a pro-forma exercise. We do not have a “popular vote” and yet, the electors are (typically) sworn to vote as a block of mindless automatons, following the majority of the voters in their state.
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