Every four years, the U.S. Presidential election revives a similarly lively, if increasingly tense, discussion about the Electoral College, namely its function and impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As we find ourselves in yet another high-stakes election season, here are some surprising facts about the institution\u2019s origins and evolution\u2014and just who is <\/span>in<\/span><\/i> the Electoral College\u2014to ponder alongside giving a watch to <\/span>One Person, One Vote?<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the documentary about this misunderstood process.<\/span><\/p>\n The roadmap for the Electoral College is inextricably linked with America\u2019s roots in slavery. Look no further than the <\/span>Three-fifths <\/span>Compromise in Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution<\/span><\/a>, codified in 1789.<\/span><\/p>\n The Transatlantic slave trade generated the wealth of the European colonists who would go on to declare American independence in 1776. Slavery was upheld by laws declaring enslaved peoples as plantation owners\u2019 property and thereby without voting rights. The Constitution\u2019s establishment of the House of Representatives\u2014and how to calculate each newly formed state\u2019s number of House seats\u2014became hotly contested between the North and the South. <\/span><\/p>\nOrigin Story: The Electoral College Rooted in Slavery<\/span><\/h2>\n