quote:
The matter was debated. It was decided that states would make the determination. In certain states, women, blacks, and non-landowners were allowed to vote.

It's a fair point that the limitations were left up to the states, but the point I'm making is that THEY ASSUMED THAT THERE WOULD BE LIMITS. I'm not advocating that we go back to white male landowners (which was the majority even if there were exceptions). Given the current political climate I don't think there's a way to significantly limit who gets to vote at all...that ship has sailed. All I am saying is that I don't believe this system was designed to be a very democratic system. I think it was designed to be a tentatively democratic system with a pretty good safeguard against too much mob rule. I think what y'all would call "elitists" won out in the debate back then and what I call "populists" lost.

Remember, back then they expected the states to control/decide most things. So by sending that responsibility to the states they were being consistent with their concept of federalism in concentrating the power for most important things at the state level.

Also remember that their concept of the electoral college was not what we think of it today. Their concept of delegates was that they would be much more independent minded. They weren't advocating that delegates be just rubber stampers who did "the will of the people." Their concept of delegates was that you were really electing someone to decide who the president should be, not that you were sending someone to cast the majority vote for you. Yes, they leaned toward one candidate or the other, but if they changed their mind at some point in the process they were free (and they still are, but it rarely happens) to change their vote to match their judgement.

Also, sure there was disagreement about how to structure things. There was disagreement and debate about everything the FFs did. My concept is that it makes the most.sense to favor the side that won out in the debates when discussing what the framers intended rather than the side or sides that lost.