Let the People Pick the President

The veteran journalist presents “an illuminating history and analysis” of the American electoral system—and a bold call for change (Kirkus).

The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when the candidate who gets the most votes can lose?

The Electoral College creates a false picture of a country divided into red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. In every election, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes don't matter, and that only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president.

In this authoritative and persuasive call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as deep insight into contemporary presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.