In the United States, the Electoral College determines the winner of a national election. Each state has its own number of electoral votes, determined by the state's population. This system is a “winner takes all” system. Which means the candidate with 50 percent or more of the vote in an individual state gets all of that state's electoral votes. The 2016 presidential election will have 538 electoral votes, meaning the election will be decided who comes first to 270 votes. Some consider this system outdated and unfair. Many are looking for a way to change the system and others would like to remove it. It is essential to understand the factors that justified the creation of the system. When drafting the Constitution, the framers wanted to avoid creating a strong executive branch. One of the ideas the framers created was for Congress to directly choose the president. However, the idea was rejected because some felt that making this choice would be too divisive and leave room for animosity in Congress. Others believed that such a procedure would give rise to improper political horse-trading, corruption, and perhaps even interference by foreign powers. Another reason this idea was rejected is that "others believed that such an arrangement would upset the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of the federal government" (Kimberling 2). This idea was also rejected because many felt it would upset the balance between the legislative and executive branches. A second idea for presidential elections was to have the president elected by popular vote. The idea was rejected because the authors were concerned that citizens would not have sufficient knowledge of the candidates outside their state. T...... middle of paper ......w.minnpost.com/eric-black-ink/2012/10/10-reasons-why-electoral-college-problem>"The Electoral College - Maine and Nebraska.” The Electoral College - Maine and Nebraska. Center for Voting and Democracy, December 10, 2009. Web. November 30, 2013. .Henderson, Nia-Malika and Errin Haines. “Republicans in Virginia and other states seek Electoral College changes.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, January 24, 2013. Web. November 30, 2013. "Legislation would remove 'winner takes all' from electoral votes in Virginia." INSIDENOVA.COM. TownNews.com, January 2, 2013. Web. December 1, 2013. Bugh, Gary. Electoral College Reform: Challenges and Opportunities. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate Pub., 2010. Print