Electoral College Trap: Where's the Escape? George C. Edwards III Mobilizes the Case for Sweeping Reform with Special Force. His Central Focus Is Political Equality, the Bedrock Principle That No Person's Vote Should Count More Than Another's in Choosing a Single Officer to Lead a Nation

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It's nail-biting time--not just for Kerry and Bush partisans, but for an entire nation wondering if the rickety old Electoral College will again misfire and repudiate the will of most Americans.

But it's hardly a new issue. For half a century, clear majorities of Americans have told Gallup pollsters they want a straightforward, direct vote system for president. But self-interested politicos have resisted. And our political commentary elites have mostly just muddied the waters.

Take the strange reaction to the 2000 election. Across America, more than 100 million people voted. But by the chance fallout of tiny vote margins controlling blocks of electoral votes in a handful of close states, the candidate most Americans voted for failed to be certified the winner. In Florida, where a chad-shadowed …