Electoral college

When you vote for the President of the United States, you aren't actually casting a vote for the candidate of your choice. The Electoral College is a system to elect the President and Vice President is a complex process by which each state is allocated a certain number of electoral votes. You are basically voting for who you want your state to vote for. Each state has a different number of electoral votes which are then used to determine the outcome of the presidential election. Here's how the Electoral College works:

In total, there are 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College. This number is equal to the sum of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 votes for the District of Columbia. Each state in the U.S., as well as the District of Columbia, is  allocated a specific number of electoral votes based on the total number  of its congressional representatives (Senators and House members). This allocation is based on the state's population, with each state having  at least three electoral votes (two Senators and at least one House member). 

Most states use a winner-takes-all system, where the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that state's electoral  votes. For example, if a candidate wins the popular vote in California,  which has 55 electoral votes, they receive all 55 of those votes.

The electors themselves are individuals chosen by the political parties in each state. That means several sets of electors are waiting in the wings for the election results to be counted. Once a party's candidate is determined as the state's winner, that party's set of electors go to Washington D.C. to caste their vote for president. Electors are typically party loyalists and are often selected at state party conventions, but they are not required to vote for their party's candidate and can switch their votes.

The Electoral College system in the United States is criticized for several reasons, and these criticisms have led to ongoing debates about whether the system should be reformed or replaced. Here are some of the primary criticisms:

1. A Polarizing Effect: Because the electoral college system is a winner-takes-all system where a candidate that gets 51% of the vote in a state, that candidates gets all of the electors for that state. America gets divided into "blue" and "red" states with only a few of the states that are competitive. Republican presidential candidates don't waste their time in states like California and Maine which are reliably "blue", while Democrat presidential party candidates avoid states like Texas and West Virginia which are reliably "red". This creates political echo chambers instead of encouraging healthy political discord in every state.
2. Popular Winners - Electoral Loosers: In several elections, the candidate that won the presidential election actually lost the popular vote. More people voted for the loser than the winner. 
3. Swing State Focus: Because the winner-takes-all system is used in most states, candidates  often focus their campaign efforts on a few "swing states" that are  considered competitive. This can result in candidates neglecting the  concerns and interests of voters in non-competitive states, leading to  an imbalance in attention and policy priorities.
4. Silenced Votes: The winner-takes-all allocation of electoral votes in most states leads to a distortion of the electoral outcome. In closely divided states, a candidate who wins by a narrow margin receives all of that state's electoral votes, potentially giving them an advantage disproportionate to their actual popular vote margin. For members of a minority party in the state, they have little incentive to vote because ultimately their vote won't count.
5. Unequal Voting Power: The Electoral College gives voters in smaller states more weight in a presidential elections than voters in large state. Small states have a greater per capita influence in the election because they are guaranteed a minimum of three electoral votes (equal to their two Senators and at least one House  member). A popular vote for president would insure that every American has an equal voice to chose our President and Vice President.
6. Potential for Faithless Electors: While rare, there is a possibility of "faithless electors" who do not vote in accordance with  the popular vote outcome in their state. In the 2020 presidential elections, the loosing party attempted to organize a set a fake electors to go to Washington DC and caste votes that didn't reflect the popular vote in their state. This has raised serious concerns about the reliability and integrity of the system.

Fixing the electoral college is complicated because it can involve an amendment to the U.S. Constitution or for all the states to agree on a different approach to allocating electors during presidential elections. Here are some options:

1. Popular Vote for President: A straightforward option is to eliminate the Electoral College entirely  and determine the winner based on the national popular vote. The candidate who receives the most votes nationwide would become the  President.
2. Proportional Allocation of Electors: Another reform proposal is to allocate electoral votes proportionally  based on the popular vote within each state, rather than using the  winner-takes-all approach. This would better reflect the popular vote outcome and wouldn't require a constitutional amendment. However, it would require all states to individually agree to use this method.
3. Congressional District Method: Some states already allocate electoral votes based on the winner of individual congressional districts, similar to how electoral votes are awarded for Senate seats. This approach would distribute electoral votes more proportionally within a state. 

Here are some links that can tell you more about the problems with the electoral college and options for fixing it:

• 2020 Shows Why The Electoral College Is Stupid And Immoral - NY Times
• Whose Votes Count the Least In The Electoral College? - The conversation
• The Electoral College Penalizes Voters In High Turnout States - Electoral Vote Map
• Video - The First Step To Fixing The Electoral College - Robert Reich
• Video - Why The Electoral College Exists - National Geographic