Look at the link Tom provided. It provides a good overall understanding of the electoral college, why it was started, why it changed, and why it is the way it is today:

http://www.fec.gov/pdf/eleccoll.pdf


>>>
>>>I believe electoral votes is not an accurate way of reflecting our country's choice and it should be changed to the popular vote myself.
>>>
>>
>>The idea of a representative government is to protect the minority from the tyrany of the majority. If a popular vote was used then California, New York, Texas and Florida would decide every presidential election.
>
>Jake,
>As an outsider I tell you now that I don't fully understand the nuances of your Electoral College system.
>But your statement above caused me to ask myself 'how is the Electoral College "representative government" AND how does it protect from the tyranny of the majority?'.
>
>Let me use todays's Supreme Court decision on sodomy to illustrate...
>IF put to the Congress or if put to the Electoral College or even if put to a referendum I think it's a fair bet that all three would "vote" to outlaw the practise. Given the high court's ruling - that the bedroom's antics cannot be legislated - none of those decision methods would succeed in protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority.
>
>Can you answer the question above that I asked myself?