Hello and welcome to The Americano Show, a series of discussions about American politics, power and prejudices.

In each episode of this very brilliant show, we will bring you one very well-informed expert, guest, or possibly two, depending on how we're

feeling, and together we will try and get to the bottom of what is going on in the United States.

We are doing a US election special event at the Emanuel Centre in central London on October the 24th.

And I almost don't need to do this announcement because tickets are selling so fast.

But I want Americano listeners to take advantage of this opportunity and to get themselves a ticket.

The special guest, who I wasn't allowed to announce

before, is Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform Party, a friend, I think we can say, of Donald Trump.

And so I will be asking him about Trump and about the 2024 election and about the transatlantic relationship that reform have with the Republican

Party. Do come. We'd like to see you. I'm delighted to be joined today by Michael Kaysen,

who is a professor of history at Georgetown University. And we're going to be talking about the creaky old

system that is the electoral college, because I think it's fair to say a lot of people in America

think that the electoral college, which is how America elects its presidents, the mechanism by which it elects its president, is defunct, out of date,

and needs to be reformed. Michael, I believe you think this, you feel this quite strongly.

Can you explain to American listeners who might not be up to speed? We have quite a few British

listeners, why the Electoral College,

or how the Electoral College works, first of all, and why it is out of date? Well, it works simply,

if not well. Every state gets at least three electoral votes, two for its two senators, one for the minimum

of members of the House of Representatives.

And that's true for District of Columbia, where I live as well, which is not a state.

But ever since the constitutional amendment was passed about 60 years ago, D.C. also

gets three electoral votes.

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