Should we change the way we elect presidents? Can we?

10/17/24 • 11 min

4 Listeners

The electoral college has served as the system to elect U.S. presidents since the earliest days of the country. And while it has evolved over the years, Americans still use this complex representative system to choose their country’s leaders. The system, however, is not without its flaws — and many have pushed for alternatives over the years.

In the third class about how the electoral college works, host Cristina Quinn talks with historian Alex Keyssar about potential alternatives to the way the United States elects presidents. The class explores the merits and flaws of the current system, and lays out the challenges to putting a different one in place.

Here are resources to help you learn more about attempts to overhaul the electoral college:

And don’t forget to vote! You can check the status of your 2024 voter registration here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

Here are resources to help you learn more about attempts to overhaul the electoral college:

And don’t forget to vote! You can check the status of your 2024 voter registration here.

Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

Previous Episode

How we ended up with the electoral college system

In the second class in our series about how the electoral college works, host Cristina Quinn talks to historian Alex Keyssar of the Harvard Kennedy School about the compromises that drove the Founding Fathers to land on a complex, winner-takes-all system rather than a straightforward popular vote.

Keyssar walks listeners through the evolution of our voting system in the years following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and how things like electoral vote ties, the introduction of political parties and the end of slavery eventually led to the version of the voting system we have today.

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Next Episode

Some happiness is predetermined. The rest is up to you.

Happiness, it turns out, comes down to a science — even though what makes each of us happy can vary pretty widely. Host Cristina Quinn talks to happiness scientist Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at UC-Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, about exactly what makes us happy and how much of our sense of joy is within our control.

Drawing from the science of happiness, Emiliana explains that happiness isn’t about chasing fleeting positive emotions, but rather it’s about fostering an overarching sense of contentment, belonging and resilience. She also lays out how much of happiness is influenced by genetics, external circumstances and the choices we make.

This course reminds us that happiness isn’t out of reach — it’s something we can cultivate every day.

Emiliana and her colleagues at the Greater Good Science Center have been collecting data on happiness through the Big Joy Project, a seven-day online study where participants are assigned a micro-act of joy every day. Learn more about the project here.

For some extra happiness tips, read about trying new things for joy and embracing “joy snacks.”

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