During the US Presidential Election we are inundated with propaganda insisting that we must do our civic duty and cast a vote that will help determine who will be the next leader of our nation. The President of the United States is undoubtedly the most influential person in our country, so, obviously, citizens must take the electoral process very seriously. But how much influence do the voters of this democratic nation really have on such an important decision? Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the voting process that takes place during every election. This process does not necessarily include citizens of the United States and is known as the Electoral College. It is the Electoral College that impedes the democratic process of our nation's presidential elections and tests its integrity. The Electoral College plays a vital role in the election of the President of the United States of America. First introduced in 1787, the founding fathers implemented this system as a way to ensure a more efficient voting process (Soros). During this time the Electoral College served a noble purpose and was, in fact, the most efficient way to vote in a time when mass transportation and technology did not exist. By participating in this process, municipalities were able to send a representative to cast a collective vote for that area. The modern electoral college still functions in a similar way and yet fails to serve a modern purpose. It challenges the democratic principles on which the United States was founded and may even operate illegally. Today, “forty-eight out of fifty states appoint (their) electors through the “winner-takes-all” electoral method” which is “not simply undemocratic, but potentially illegal… middle of paper…”. .Rpt. from "Warped Reform: The Cure for the Constituency That's Worse than What Ails Us." Slate.com. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Network. November 18, 2013. Ross, Tara. “The Electoral College system is a brilliant constitutional device.” Federal elections. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Electoral College". The Federalist Society's online debate series. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Network. November 7, 2013. Solomon, Burt. “What were they thinking?” National newspaper 32.47/48 (2000): 3662. Premier academic research. Network. November 8, 2013.Soros, Jonathan. “It's time to sweep the constituency.” Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition December 15, 2008: A17. Premier of academic research. Network. 8 Nov. 2013. “What is the electoral college?”. The United States National Archives and Records Administration. Network. November 18. 2013