Electoral College Thoughts

As you may know, I am opposed to the Electoral College because:

• The electorate is able to be informed.  The Founders knew that everyone who voted wouldn't be informed--that's why we had State legislatures elect US Senators.  The 17th amendment to the Constitution is an admission that we can be more informed.
• A Utah vote is equal to a Florida vote.  Under a winner-take-all system, votes that aren't part of the majority don't count because you aren't voting for president.  The Democratic elector I vote for in Utah (Arlyn Bradshaw, ED of the Democratic Party) doesn't even vote for President.  If all votes counted toward electing a President, all votes would be equal.
• Votes in big state and little states would be the same.  Although people say that Presidential candidates would only go to NY and CA if the electoral college didn't exist, where do they go now?  The 2004 Presidential Election has only 13 "battleground" states.  Neither Kerry nor Bush has ever been to Utah. 

Those are only a few of many arguments against the electoral college (and I'm happy to debate anyone on the issue).  The only good arguments I've heard for the electoral college are:

• Third party candidates would emerge and Presidential candidates would seldomly win a majority of the popular vote.  Therefore, the House of Representatives would decide the election. (I don't see problems in emerging third-parties.  Only the major two parties would have a problem with it.  I don't have a solution to the problem of someone not winning a majority--most states have run-offs.  Maybe we could do that nationally??  Probably not because of $$)
• Candidates would have to campaign in more states than they do now rather than focusing on where it matters. (Double-edged sword.  It would be more expensive to do a country-wide campaign therefore the electoral college works.  But is it necessarily bad that campaigns have to go to more states than thirteen?)

There's a good website that is tracking the electoral votes for each candidate based on polling numbers- www.electoral-vote.com. 

I have a secret that I don't tell many people.  I truly hope that President Bush wins the popular vote and Senator Kerry wins the electoral vote.  Then the Republicans will know how it feels and a non-partisan discussion on the electoral college would take place.