American Presidents are not elected by a popular vote but rather by a select group – known as the Electoral College. It’s a system that was devised in 1787 to bring together a number of very disparate states – all with their own agendas. But is it appropriate for Presidential elections in the 21st century and can it said to be a truly democratic?
Guests
Margaret O’Mara Professor of American History at the University of Washington in Seattle and author of Pivotal Tuesdays: Four Elections That Shaped the Twentieth Century.
Edward Foley is Professor of Law and Director of the Election law Program at Iowa State University. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Arizona. He is one of the co-authors of Election Law and Litigation: The Judicial Regulation of Politics.
Mary Francis Berry Professor of History and American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania and former Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Author of History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times.
Alex Kaysaar the Sterling Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University. He is the author of The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States and Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?