Soldier dies while trying to vote during Civil War

[RJNorton]

According to Wikipedia here are some arguments both pro and con regarding the Electoral College:

"The Electoral College system is subject to debate, with some defending it and others calling for its abolition. Supporters of the Electoral College argue that it is fundamental to American federalism, that it requires candidates to appeal to voters outside large cities, increases the political influence of small states, discourages the excessive growth of political parties and preserves the two-party system, and makes the electoral outcome appear more legitimate than that of a nationwide popular vote. Opponents of the Electoral College argue that it can result in a person becoming president even though an opponent got more votes (which has happened in two out of the last five presidential elections); that it causes candidates to focus their campaigning disproportionately in a few "swing states" while ignoring most areas of the country; and that its allocation of Electoral College votes gives citizens in less populated rural states as much as four times the voting power as those in more populous urban states. Polls since 1967 have shown that a majority of Americans favor the president and vice president being elected by the nationwide popular vote, instead of by the Electoral College."

To abolish the Electoral College through the means of an amendment would require a 2/3 vote in both House and Senate plus a 3/4 vote of all the states. IMO, that is not going to happen (despite the fact that the majority of Americans apparently favor ending the Electoral College system).