Why did the founding fathers reject direct election of the president by the people

The Electoral College plays a key part in electing the president. It is a way to keep one part of the population from completely controlling the presidency. It is another "check" in the concept of "checks and balances" in place under the Constitution.

Explanation:

The Electoral College goes off of state majority votes rather than total population majority. This is a check on the population as a whole. This way, no "one part" of the country can control the presidency. For instance, say 65% of the population as a whole voted Republican and the presidency was chosen purely through popular vote. Well, most people, once they are set in their views, rarely change their voting stance. So, 35% of the population would have no chance whatsoever of ever having their president elected.

That is where the Electoral College comes in to play. Electoral votes are based on the popular vote by state. It is a way to "even out the odds", so to say. We have 50 different states, that means 50 different states with 50 different percentages of the population that vote for one party or another. This helps balance the system.

It is a way to divide the population by state and divide up the party voting majorities. Because say 55% of the entire American population votes Republican, but all of them are in states with a low amount of electoral votes. The Democratic candidate still has a chance to win if they win states in the Electoral College that have higher electoral votes, even though only 45% of the population voted for them. That's the simplest way to explain it, if you have further questions please direct message me and I'd be happy to answer.

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