Should we abolish the Electoral College?

We the People

National Constitution Center

History, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2016

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Alex Keyssar of Harvard University and James Ceaser of the University of Virginia explore the history and purpose of the Electoral College. Get the latest constitutional news, and continue the conversation, on Facebook and Twitter. We want to know what you think of the podcast! Email us at [email protected]. Please subscribe to We the People, and our companion podcast, Live at America’s Town Hall, on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. We the People is a member of Slate’s Panoply network. Check out the full roster at Panoply.fm. Despite our congressional charter, the National Constitution Center is a private nonprofit; we receive little government support, and we rely on the generosity of people around the country who are inspired by our nonpartisan mission of constitutional debate and education. Please consider becoming a member to support our work, including this podcast. Visit constitutioncenter.org to learn more. This show was engineered by Jason Gregory and produced by Nicandro Iannacci. Research was provided by Lana Ulrich. The host of We the People is Jeffrey Rosen.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and welcome to
0:08.6	We The People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
0:12.1	The National Constitution Center is the only
0:14.2	institution in America chartered by Congress to disseminate information about
0:18.4	the US Constitution on a non-partisan basis.
0:23.1	And this week we explore the history and future of the Electoral College.
0:27.4	Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the process of presidential selection.
0:33.0	States are directed to, quote, a point
0:35.1	in such manner as the legislature thereof
0:37.6	may direct a number of electors, end quote,
0:40.4	who then cast ballots for president and vice president.
0:43.0	In 2016, for the second time in 16 years
0:46.0	and only the fifth time in US history,
0:49.0	a presidential candidate won a majority of the electoral college,
0:51.0	but lost the popular vote.
0:54.8	Joining me to discuss the Electoral College are two of America's leading historians and political
0:59.0	scientists, a veritable dream team of the electoral college.
1:03.0	Alex Kesar is Matthew W Sterling Jr.
1:06.3	Professor of History and Social Policy
1:08.4	at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
1:11.1	James Caesar is Professor of Politics at the University of
1:13.6	Virginia and a member of the National Constitution Center's Coalition of Freedom
	...

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