George C. Edwards III is Distinguished Fellow at the University of Oxford and University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus at Texas A & M University. He is a senior figure in the study of the presidency and has written or edited twenty-seven books. He was also editor of Presidential Studies Quarterly and general editor of the Oxford Handbook of American Politics. He was a founder and served as president of the Presidency and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association and has held senior appointments at Oxford, the University of London, Sciences Po-Paris, Peking University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the US Military Academy at West Point.
'The most recent election and its sordid aftermath have only strengthened George Edwards' powerful critique of the Electoral College as a device for selecting presidents. Deftly dismantling the arguments offered by its defenders, Edwards makes a persuasive case that electing presidents by popular vote is not only more democratic but also an eminently workable step toward a healthier national polity. Readers will come away ready to amend the Constitution.' Gary Jacobson, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of California San Diego 'A valuable update, incorporating new material from the 2016 and 2020 elections. Building on a detailed account of the workings and defects of the Electoral College, Edwards assembles mountains of evidence to eviscerate the arguments made in support of an archaic electoral system that violates the democratic principle that all votes should count equally.' Alexander Keyssar, Matthew W. Stirling, Jr, Professor of History and Social Policy, Harvard University and author of Why Do We Still have the Electoral College?