Originally Posted by tankdriver

The electoral college doesn't have anything to do with the efficacy of 3rd party candidates (sort of). The established parties have rigged the game through impossible rules and gerrymandering to ensure that the choices the electoral college will have are either a Democrat or Republican Pres & VP. Although the purpose of the electoral college was to ensure that those in positions of power make the decisions, so in that respect the EC is part of the machine that keeps 3rd parties down.