The framers modeled the Electoral College on indirect election systems then prevailing in Scotland and Maryland, in which elector discretion was pivotal.
Independence Institute helps win court ruling protecting presidential electors Read More »
Some writers claim the framers adopted an indirect election procedure because they didn’t trust democracy. This is an oversimplification. The framers balanced many factors.
How our presidential election system works Read More »
In the 2006 Nicaraguan election, a plurality of only 38 percent elected socialist Daniel Ortega. Once in office, Ortega did what socialist thugs commonly do: suppress opposition. Nicaragua has not had an honest election since.
National Popular Vote: Banana republic elections Read More »
NPV . . . with or without congressional approval . . . violates a central principle of constitutional law.
Why the “National Popular Vote” scheme is unconstitutional Read More »
It is not true, as some claim, that the Founders acted only out of distrust of democracy. Rather, the system was a brilliant response to a complicated set of issues.
The Electoral College is still right for America Read More »
But a “friend of the court” brief filed by the Independence Institute has shredded one of the key defenses.
II Court Brief Uphold’s Founders’ View of Electoral College Read More »
[T]he Hamilton Electors have good cause to claim the mantle of originalism.
Presidential Elector Discretion: The Originalist Evidence Read More »
Comments from [the ratification] debates generally show that the ratifiers understood presidential electors were to exercise their own judgment when voting.
The two leading precedents in the English speaking world both reinforced dictionary definitions: Electors were to think for themselves.
The Electoral College is not part of the U.S. government, nor are the electors government officials.
During the founding era, election rules were said to fix the “manner of election” . . . This term embraced . . . five categories.
Electoral College Rules Made Simple (or, rather, less complicated)—2nd in a Series Read More »
The delegates . . . found the question of how to choose the federal executive one of the most perplexing they faced. People who want to abolish the Electoral College usually are unfamiliar with how perplexing the issue was—and still is.
Why Did the Framers Create the Electoral College?—1st in a Series Read More »
