Share Past & Future of the Electoral College, with Thomas Patterson (Harvard), Jack Rakove (Stanford), Henry Brady (UC-Berkeley), and Keith Whittington (Princeton)

Copy link

November 03, 2020

Past & Future of the Electoral College, with Thomas Patterson (Harvard), Jack Rakove (Stanford), Henry Brady (UC-Berkeley), and Keith Whittington (Princeton)

13 minutes

Why did the framers of the U.S. Constitution not allow for the direct election of the president? What is the rationale for the Electoral College system, and how has it evolved? In this episode, four prominent historians and political scientists explain why the Constitution's authors designed a unique system for electing this country's chief executive. They also discuss the pros and cons of possible alternatives to the Electoral College.

Profiles of Guests:
Jack Rakove, Stanford University
Thomas Patterson, Harvard University
Keith Whittington, Princeton University
Henry Brady, University of California, Berkeley

More on the Electoral College:
Alternatives to the Electoral College
Presidents Who Lost the Popular Vote
The Proportional Plan
National Popular Vote Compact

Support the show

...more