Image Source: Ballotpedia On January 6, 2021 protestors, who believed the November 2020 election had been stolen from their candidate, stormed the Capitol to prevent the Electoral College from electing the next President and Vice President. This shocking event resulted in the Electoral Reform Act of 2023 which clarifies how Electors are chosen and to address “vulnerabilities exposed by the efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.” How Electoral Votes are Counted for the Presidential Election. Media coverage of January 6th also provoked interest in the formerly often ignored Electoral College, raising questions such as “What is it?”, “Why do we need an Electoral College today?” and “Why don’t we let the voters choose the next President and Vice President?”

Why it was Created Our Founding Fathers, gathered in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention, worried that selecting the President and Vice President by popular vote could be dangerous. Most citizens had little education and might be swayed by unscrupulous demagogues. On the other hand, having Congress make the decision would give the Federal government too much power. (Having just fought the Revolutionary War to break from the English King, the members were leery of centralized power.)  Their solution was instead to let State Legislatures choose Electors who would convene in the Capital to decide the election. But how many Electors would each state get?  The Impact of Slavery Southern delegates like James Madison of Virginia, where 60% of its residents