I have long admired the Constitutional System for electing the President of the United States and enthusiastically taught it for many years. As Alexander Hamilton stated in Federalist Paper # 68, "if the manner of it be not perfect, it is at least excellent." I am of course writing about the Electoral college system found in Article II of the U.S. Constitution.
Imagine my surprise after teaching it for over fifteen years, when I discovered that the design of the Electoral college was created by Maryland statesman, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, and not the U.S. Constitution. Carroll had introduced it when the 13 state governments were being set up after the Declaration was signed in 1776. He used it as a means of electing senators in the Maryland Legislature, not the chief executive. The electors were chosen by the citizens and the electors chose the senators, while the members of the Maryland House of Representatives were elected directly by the people. It was a necessary balance favorable to deliberation. In 1787 James Madison and Alexander Hamilton examined the concept and found it suitable for the presidential election. They "borrowed" from Charles Carroll.
The fact that Carroll was Roman Catholic was significant because until the War for Independence, Catholics were viewed as suspicious and mostly not even allowed to vote. In 1776 Protestant Christians were over 98% of America's population and Catholic Christians less than 2%. So for Carroll to play a role in laying the foundation of this glorious republic was remarkable. I find it very interesting and important since I'm Catholic myself and desire to know more about Catholics who've provided meaningful ideas to help frame our unique form of government.
But back to the beautiful Electoral college system itself. The electors are chosen by the people for a set purpose and a temporary one. No senator, representative, or other person holding a place of trust or profit under the United States can be of the number of electors. The electors selected by their fellow citizens of each state pledge to vote for a particular presidential candidate of their political party, and each state is given the same number of electoral votes as they have United States senators and representatives combined, which in the case of Alabama would be nine total votes. Not very many, huh, because our state is not heavily populated like say, California or New York. But what is helpful to us and other less populous places is the "winner take all" part that gives all the electoral votes to the candidate that wins one more vote above the other contenders. The other states do likewise and so the heartland of America and the Bible Belt are protected by the Electoral College System to a degree. If no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the election goes to the House of Representatives where each state receives one vote in voting from among the top three in the Electoral college.
The Electoral college is a state check on federal power and protects the smaller and less populated states. It's a fair system that allows all Americans to have a voice in the government.
