The Electoral College

Throughline

NPR

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.7 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2020

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think differently about not only this upcoming presidential election, but our democracy as a whole.

Transcript

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0:00.0	So we're talking about this right to vote, this power to vote.
0:08.0	If we didn't have this right to vote, it probably wouldn't be killing us.
0:11.0	When a big landowner like George Washington offers you a rum-todd...
0:16.0	It's a pretty good way to make money to just sell your vote.
0:19.0	You're gonna be sure you cast a vote for George Washington.
0:23.0	When we have an electorate where it's only soprano singing...
0:26.0	Douglas says...
0:28.0	The United States now has a chance.
0:30.0	That gets harsh on the ears after a quick minute.
0:34.0	To create a republic...
0:36.0	When we have an electorate...
0:38.0	With people from all corners of the world...
0:40.0	That is made up of sopranos and autos...
0:43.0	Of all colors, all religions and ethnicity...
0:46.0	Baratones and bases and tenors...
0:48.0	We get the richness of the sound.
0:56.0	Hi.
0:58.0	All right.
1:00.0	So I wanted to ask you about voting.
1:08.0	Voting.
1:10.0	Yeah. And specifically...
1:14.0	I want to ask you about the Electoral College.
	...

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