No. I want a method that allows the fairest possible representation of each state at the table. I can sense the inherent stupidity of just 2 states deciding the election every single time. There would literally be no reason for anyone elsewhere to go to the polls. The EC tries to do that. Is it the best? I don't know...I haven't seen anything better to get to what I just said. But a straight up popular vote? Hell no. And your comment is a red herring anyway. An impossibility, so why even discuss it?
Let's say I live in Florida, where my vote has a real chance to make an impact on a Presidential election. My work just transferred me to NYC. Now I'm moving to a place where my vote is far less likely to make a real impact. I'm the same person, with the same values, and I'm still an American - but my voting power has just been diminished. That scenario feels wrong to me. When I vote for President, it shouldn't matter what state I call home. The EC has a way of telling you that if you didn't vote for the guy who won your state, your vote didn't mean shit. Take that a step further: "This state is decided, so I don't feel like voting at all." Not a great way to combat voter apathy.
Let's look at Florida....In 2000, there was a difference of less than 1,000 tabulated votes between George W. Bush and Al Gore. 6 million votes were recounted by machine, several hundred thousand were recounted by hand in counties with differing recount standards, partisan litigators fought each other in state and federal courts, the secretary of state backed by the majority of state legislators (all Republicans) warred with the state’s majority Democratic judiciary — until 37 days after the election the U.S. Supreme Court, in a bitterly controversial 5-4 decision effectively declared Bush the winner. Now, take that out to a national level....head explodes. A direct national election would result in resource allocation overwhelmingly dominated by paid television advertising, and therefore little need or drive for grass-roots campaigns. That's another way to kill voter interest. For folks complaining about media involvement and lies....it would rise to another level in a direct national election.
The FF wanted 50 individual powerful states and a far less powerful federal government. That is why the state's not the people elect the president. I believe in the electoral college, but to make it work we need to return to the basic principal of smaller federal government.
