We should all be working to pass an amendment to get rid of the Electoral College.
It was important to our country when it took days and even weeks to get the votes from the states to Washington. And our Founding Fathers never imagined a country in which we know (usually) who won the election within hours of the close of voting. So, the original reason for the Electoral College is no longer valid.
So now, what's the excuse for keeping it? In these modern times, these are the arguments set forth for keeping the Electoral College (Excerpt from an original document located at Jackson County, MO Election Board)
•contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president
•enhances the status of minority interests,
•contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two-party system, and
•maintains a federal system of government and representation.
Okay. I don't see the logic of the first argument at all. Or the second or third, for that matter. So, as far as I can see, only the fourth argument is logical and all it serves to do is keep Washington's finger in the presidential pie.
The downside of the Electoral College is that the country can be so divided politically that a majority cannot be obtained. This usually happens when there is a third party candidate (that blows argument #3) and it's happened 15 times -- yes 15 TIMES. When this happens, the House of Representatives can decide the winner. YIPES! With Boehner or someone like him in control, the country would be in ruins.
There can also be "faithless electors". These are people who, to make a political statement vote AGAINST the popular vote of their state.
Another reason (and it's been done and is being done) is that a state gets the same number of Electoral College votes, regardless of how many people actually voted in that state. Hence, it's politically sound to enact voter suppression laws, to keep the opposite party from getting more votes. And it's happening now, folks.
So, I really can't see where the 'pro' arguments have any merit. But the BIGGEST con argument that I can see is that, if you're a Democrat in Kansas (Yes, there are some) or a Republican in Massachusetts, you might as well not vote in presidential elections because, the majority of the time, your vote is going to be totally ignored. This whole Red State/Blue State thing is mostly because of the Electoral College and it's disenfranchising millions of voters.
There are other reasons for being against the Electoral College, but, in my opinion, that's the most important one. In this country each and every voter should have a say in the presidential elections and right now, they don't.