NE North Dakota News

The University of North Dakota's Digital Press has released a revised and expanded edition of "Picking the President: Understanding the Electoral College." This new version offers an extensive exploration of the U.S. electoral system, featuring essays by historians, political scientists, legal experts, and other scholars. It also includes original documents from the Constitutional Convention to provide insight into historical debates about presidential elections.

"This volume is a revised and expanded version of the original ‘Picking the President,’ which appeared in 2017," stated Eric Burin, editor and UND Professor of History. He noted that the success of the first edition warranted this follow-up to further engage readers' curiosity about the Electoral College.

The updated edition is three times larger than its predecessor. Since its initial release eight years ago, "Picking the President" became unexpectedly popular, with numerous paper copies sold and thousands downloaded digitally. During this period, Burin delved deeper into both historical and modern perspectives on the Electoral College.

By 2024, Burin was prepared to produce this Revised and Expanded Edition. "The Revised and Expanded Edition has three new sections," he explained in his introduction. The first section retains essays from after the 2016 election; the second introduces diverse new voices offering fresh perspectives on the Electoral College; while the third section compiles historical resources suitable for public interest or educational use.

Burin emphasized that this edition shares its predecessor's aim: to illuminate understanding of the Electoral College. “The essays provide multiple viewpoints on the Electoral College while the historical resources empower readers to develop their own ideas on the subject,” he said.

This latest edition from The Digital Press at UND is available as a free digital download or as a low-cost paperback through Amazon.com.