Why the Electoral College Exists

Every four years, people head to the polls to vote for the next President of the United States. However, the popular vote doesn t directly elect any candidate. Instead, citizens are voting for a slate of electors, who have promised to cast their states votes after the election. Today, the Electoral College system is very controversial, leading many people to ask: why does it exist at all That answer lies in the history of the Constitution and how its creators originally believed America s brandnew government should run and how its leader should be elected. As it turns out, the Electoral College was just as contentious in 1787 as it is today.