EPISODE · Jul 17, 2025 · 58 MIN
The Electoral College and How Other Republics Elect Heads of Government
from The Institute of World Politics · host The Institute of World Politics
About the Lecture: The American Constitution is the world’s oldest. It was designed by our Founders to withstand the storms of faction, geographic expansion, war – and even Civil War. The Founders studied history. They knew that democracies always fail. Plato writes in The Republic that “democracies always become tyrannies.” How is it that our 235-year-old Constitution still governs our land? In a phrase - “checks and balances”. The Constitution has internal mechanisms that, while imperfect, were created because men are quite imperfect. Just as sailor must tack back and forth to reach his destination, the Constitution forces us to share and exchange the leavers of power to keep the ship of state from floundering and on course. When someone says, “the Electoral College is un-democratic”, a fair reply may be - “Of course it is. We are a republic, not a democracy.” Even so, America is much more democratic than most all republics in choosing a head of state. Was Mr. Churchill’s name on the ballots of all Englishmen? Was Mr. Trudeau’s name on the ballots of all Canadians? Decidedly not. We will explore why virtually all sustained republics embrace “checks and balances” and a “two-step” electoral processes - not simple majority rule. There is nothing simple about self-government About the Speaker: Mr. Michael C. Maibach is a seasoned professional in global business diplomacy. From 2003 to 2012, he was the President & CEO of the European-American Business Council after serving for 18 years as the Vice President of Global Government Affairs for the Intel Corporation. Today, he is a Trustee and Managing Director of the James Wilson Institute, and a Distinguished Fellow on American Federalism at Save Our States. Mr. Maibach has earned M.A. degrees from Northern Illinois University, Georgetown University, Ashland University, and The Institute of World Politics, where he also serves as a member of our Honorary Board of Advisors. He frequently speaks at schools and civic groups to discuss and defend the Founders’ Constitution and their Electoral College design.
What this episode covers
About the Lecture: The American Constitution is the world’s oldest. It was designed by our Founders to withstand the storms of faction, geographic expansion, war – and even Civil War. The Founders studied history. They knew that democracies always fail. Plato writes in The Republic that “democracies always become tyrannies.” How is it that our 235-year-old Constitution still governs our land? In a phrase - “checks and balances”. The Constitution has internal mechanisms that, while imperfect, were created because men are quite imperfect. Just as sailor must tack back and forth to reach his destination, the Constitution forces us to share and exchange the leavers of power to keep the ship of state from floundering and on course. When someone says, “the Electoral College is un-democratic”, a fair reply may be - “Of course it is. We are a republic, not a democracy.” Even so, America is much more democratic than most all republics in choosing a head of state. Was Mr. Churchill’s name on the ballots of all Englishmen? Was Mr. Trudeau’s name on the ballots of all Canadians? Decidedly not. We will explore why virtually all sustained republics embrace “checks and balances” and a “two-step” electoral processes - not simple majority rule. There is nothing simple about self-government About the Speaker: Mr. Michael C. Maibach is a seasoned professional in global business diplomacy. From 2003 to 2012, he was the President & CEO of the European-American Business Council after serving for 18 years as the Vice President of Global Government Affairs for the Intel Corporation. Today, he is a Trustee and Managing Director of the James Wilson Institute, and a Distinguished Fellow on American Federalism at Save Our States. Mr. Maibach has earned M.A. degrees from Northern Illinois University, Georgetown University, Ashland University, and The Institute of World Politics, where he also serves as a member of our Honorary Board of Advisors. He frequently speaks at schools and civic groups to discuss and defend the Founders’ Constitution and their Electoral College design.
NOW PLAYING
The Electoral College and How Other Republics Elect Heads of Government
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m