Why is the electoral college so controversial?

Answer 1

The Electoral College is not complicated. Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. Every state and the District of Columbia are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The electors in each state are elected in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state. Electors meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the District) on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, at which time they cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for president and vice-president. Each state then forwards the election results to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Archivist of the United States, the state's Secretary of State, and the chief judge of the United States district court where those electors met. A joint session of Congress takes place on January 6 in the calendar year immediately following the meetings of the presidential electors. The electoral votes are officially tabulated at the joint session of Congress and the winner of the election is officially declared.

Answer 2

There are several reasons, primarily that Presidents can be elected (and have been) without receiving the majority of popular votes nationwide. The winner-take-all system in 48 states means that candidates winning a few populous states have a greater advantage, even if they win them by tiny margins. The votes for the other candidates become irrelevant to the electoral process.

Beyond that, the emphasis of campaigns becomes these "swing" states, which can become "battleground" states when they might go for either of two candidates. Where the outcome is predictable (win or lose), candidates campaign little if at all. This can also lead to changes in party platforms or policies, to court undecided voters in key areas at the expense of other constituencies. Third-party candidates, no matter how popular, might win no states and receive no electoral votes at all.

The underlying problem is that it empowers the major political parties (who provide the electors) by having the President and Vice President only indirectly elected, unlike US national legislators.