The “Committee of Eleven” in the Constitutional Convention proposed the idea of indirectly electing a president via a College of Electors similar to that used by Catholic Cardinals to select a Pope. Within such a system, only the most knowledgeable and informed men from each state could select a president. The deciding criterion would be merit alone.

Each state was given the power to choose its own Electors, a method that still stands today. With the exceptions of Nebraska and Maine, every state now chooses its Electors by means of a statewide direct election in which voters cast ballots for candidates. Since 1845, states have chosen their Electors on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in years divisible by four.

See also

• Electoral College
• A Fledgling Nation
• Representation & Distribution
• How It Works