It now appears that the electoral college may be effectively undermined without the need for invoking the cumbersome constitutional amendment process. The process is underway, and the late term decision this year by the US Supreme Court helped. After all, what would happen if each state bound its electors to vote for whichever candidate won the largest number of popular votes? SCOTUS' decision suggests (although this cannot be described as the res judicata) that the states can do pretty much whatever they want in this respect. If every state does this, then every subsequent electoral college outcome will be the same: a unanimous ratification of the popular vote. I'm not sure how long the institution will survive as a purely ceremonial matter once this outcome becomes obvious, but it hardly matters. There are surely people who will consider it an honor to be one of those casting these pre-ordained ballots, the constitutional letter will be observed, and the actual popular ...