the guest associate justice steven brier.continuing in the election phase, why don't -- if we're a democracy, why not a popular election? why electoral votes? >> that's a very interesting question. i know why it grew up. it grew up -- i believe i know a little history about it. a very interesting thing at that time founding, how do we select the president? popular vote? communication is tough. transportation was tough. how would the people out in georgia know about the candidates up in maine? well, let's have congress elect the president. no, no, that will give them too much power. so if you look at the electoral college, what it does it is creates a special congress. the membership is the number of representatives in the house plus the number of senators. so it -- and it said the legislatures will select the method for choosing those special members of that special congress and they will select the president. well, over time it's made some errors and it's made some not errors, and people get used to institutions. >> larry: b