Federalist No. 68 is closely related to the Electoral College because it explains and defends the system the Constitution created for choosing the president. Alexander Hamilton wrote the essay in 1788, while the states were debating whether to ratify the Constitution.
Hamilton’s main argument
Hamilton argued that voters should choose a group of temporary representatives called electors, who would then cast votes for president. He believed this process would help select a capable president while making it harder for corruption or outside influence to control the result.
- People vote: In each state, voters choose electors. Today, this usually happens through a popular vote for a presidential candidate’s slate of electors.
- Electors vote: The electors meet and cast the official votes for president and vice president.
- Votes are counted: Congress counts the electoral votes to determine the winners.
Why Hamilton supported it
Hamilton said electors could make a careful, informed choice because they would be selected for that specific task. He also thought having electors meet in their own states would reduce the chance that they could be pressured or manipulated by a powerful group gathered in one place.
Hamilton also discussed safeguards in the original system, including how the president would be chosen if no candidate received a majority of electoral votes. Some details have since changed: the 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, made electors cast separate votes for president and vice president.
In short
Federalist No. 68 is one of the clearest explanations of why the Constitution’s authors created the Electoral College. It presents Hamilton’s original defense of electors as a way to choose a president thoughtfully and protect the process from corruption. The system used today has developed since Hamilton wrote, and people still debate whether it works fairly.