cuddlefish

Unfortunately, the electoral college was there from the start. It was designed so that the "right" people, that is, propertied white males educated in the same tradition, would be able to have greater control over the election results. Because they didn't trust the people at large, not even the small percentage who was allowed to vote at the time. At the beginning, technically, the popular vote was only a recommendation; it was the electoral college who decided whether to take it or not. I'm fairly sure that rule has been changed by now, but that was the idea.