I would think, in 2008, it would be very easy to electronically count each and every vote. Besides, even if it DID take more than one evening, the new president still has to wait several months to be sworn in anyway. Our senators get voted in by popular vote, why not the president?

You mean you finally realized that OUR vote really doesn't count--technically?? No way do they have time to count all the of the ordinary people's votes-it would take a week instead of one evening. I think they will still have the E.C.--just under a "new name". I personal think they only count the votes of the high tax paying-rich and the higher level middle class---

How does the Electoral College be discontinued? You can't really use the system to change the system in that way. It's a paradox.

The politicians have no incentive to listen to the people if the peoples' votes mean nothing. So how does an action outside of the system change something IN the system?
It's good to talk about these things but it's even better to get results.

That's why SO MANY ordinary American voters are insisting that the Electoral College system be DISCONTINUED,and thrown out for the dinosaur,defunct system IT IS!
Because it does NOT represent,truthfully, the VOX of the voting POX!
And after the last 3 decades,it's about time American elections were consistent state by state,with a one-man-one vote referendum as one sees in the rest of the Democratic Western world,but have YET TO SEE in the gran'ole US of A!
And until the American electoral system is CONSISTENT,TRANSPARENT AND ABOVE BOARD,in all 50 States,it will not be a truely Democratic system OF,BY and FOR the people,with the majority prevailing.
It will remain a rigged system of the chosen few who happen to have THE CASH to buy the votes!
And that's not ONLY the fault of those who would ABUSE the system.
But also the Fault of those who ALLOW THEMSELVES to be used and abused by ignorance,indifference or BOTH,and PRETEND that what happens does so DESPITE them and NOT because of them!
It's like watching parents who NEGLECT their children,BLAME their children,and deny all culperbility for the way the children 'turn out'!LOL!

It is the DUTY of all citizens to protect their vote from abuse and corruption and to keep themselves aware,critical and informed of the political process.
And that means keeping a sharp eye on ALL THEIR PUBLIC SERVANTS(repeat SERVANTS)who take an oath,AND A SALARY,PLUS A LOT OF FREEBIES AND 'GRATUITIES' to protect and defend SO MUCH but somehow seem to be ACCOUNTABLE for SO LITTLE in the event of massive PUBLIC SERVICE error,whether Congressional,Executive or Judiciary.

If this was a functioning Democracy of,by and FOR the people,scum-bags like Bush,Cheny,Rice,Rove et al,would ALREADY be in jail for perjury and abuse of OATH OF OFFICE,International War Crimes,Abuse of The Rule of Law,and TREASON against The Constitution!
AND THEY KNOW IT TOO!

This is from wikipedia
"Many times, though, the electors are simply important persons whose wisdom, it is hoped, would provide a better choice than a larger body. The system can ignore the wishes of a general membership, whose thinking need not be considered."

in other words, the electoral college protects the politicians from what the people actually want.

I've read about/seen some of the electoral college voters talk about how they might still vote for Hilary as president. This is very disturbing to me because it means that our votes technically don't mean anything. This is the definition of a non-democracy. 100% of the people can vote for Person-A but a very small group of electoral college voters can just choose Person-B.
What are the advantages to the people of having an electoral college?
The obvious advantage to the politicians is that the peoples' votes don't mean anything.