Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College

05/07/24 • 50 min

I think that if you got rid of the Electoral College, in the short run, there would be losers. But it hasn't always been the same group and it hasn't always been the same party.

Alexander Keyssar
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
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A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University and the author of the book Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Origin of the Electoral College - 3:05
Proportional or District Electoral Votes - 17:37
Race and Civil Rights - 27:02
Why No Reform - 41:44

Key Links
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander Keyssar
Watch Electoral College Symposium: What’s to be Done?
Follow Alexander Keyssar on X @AlexKeyssar

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05/07/24 • 50 min

Democracy Paradox - Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College

Transcript

In 2016 Hillary Clinton received the most votes for president, but lost the election. She lost, because of an American institution known as the Electoral College. It was not the first time the winner of the popular vote lost an election and it is probably not the last. Americans have long recognized the flaws of their system for electing presidents. Efforts to reform the process date back to the early 19th Century. And yet, the Electoral College is still with us.

Alex Keyssar is among th

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