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it. Eliminating Hayes, Harrison, and Bush as Presidents who did not get the most votes, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland (twice), Woodrow Wilson (first term), Harry Truman, Richard Nixon (first term), and Bill Clinton (first term) were elected despite receiving fewer than one-half the popular votes cast in elections since 1872. Since no candidates in those elections received more than one-half the popular votes, how would "a majority" be determined? Technology does not resolve that problem; the Electoral College does.

Finally, among the many things the cities of New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago likely have in common, is that those three cities have more population than twenty states. Combined, those three cities have more population than the fourth most populous state (Florida), and Texas is the only state that has more population than those three cities except for New York and California (Illinois is the fifth most populated state, despite that Chicago is the third most populated city). To shift the process for electing the President to popular vote rather than leaving it in the Electoral College would be the same as the federal government only representing the interests of urban America.

The Electoral College is certainly not a perfect system. It is, however, the best system to make sure that America remains a representative republic by giving rural America representation in Presidential elections.

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Sources:

History of the Electoral College: http://uselectionatlas.org/INF ORMATION/INFORMATION/electcoll ege_history.php
The Original US Constitution: http://www.earlyamerica.com/ea rlyamerica/freedom/constitutio n/text.html
The Twelfth Amendment: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/ data/constitution/amendment12/
Population by States: http://www.demographia.com/db- 2000stater.htm
Population by Cities: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/ A0763098.html
Results of Presidential Elections: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/ A0781450.html
The Election of John Quincy Adams in 1824: http://www.presidentprofiles.c om/Washington-Johnson/Adams-Jo hn-Quincy.html
The Election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876: http://www.presidentprofiles.c om/Grant-Eisenhower/Hayes-Ruth erford-B.html

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