<P> The Founders assumed that electors would be elected by the citizens of their district and that elector was to be free to analyze and deliberate regarding who is best suited to be president . </P> <P> Madison and Hamilton were so upset by what they saw as a distortion of the framers' original intent that they advocated a constitutional amendment to prevent anything other than the district plan: "the election of Presidential Electors by districts, is an amendment very proper to be brought forward," Madison told George Hay in 1823 . Hamilton went further . He actually drafted an amendment to the Constitution mandating the district plan for selecting electors . </P> <P> In 1789, at - large popular vote, the winner - take - all method, began with Pennsylvania and Maryland; Virginia and Delaware used a district plan by popular vote, and in the five other states participating in the election (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire New Jersey and South Carolina), state legislatures chose . By 1800, Virginia and Rhode Island voted at - large, Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina voted popularly by district, and eleven states voted by state legislature . Beginning in 1804 there was a definite trend towards the winner - take - all system for statewide popular vote . </P> <P> States using their state legislature to choose presidential electors have included fourteen states from all regions of the country . By 1832, only South Carolina used the state legislature, and it abandoned the method after 1860 . States using popular vote by district have included ten states from all regions of the country . By 1832 there was only Maryland, and from 1836 district plans fell out of use until the 20th century, though Michigan used a district plan for 1892 only . </P>

Who makes up the electoral college and how are they selected