Join Jon as he oscillates between hope and disillusion at the dysfunction of the U.S. electoral system. Along the way, he encounters author and political science and public policy researcher Darrell M. West, depicted as a calico cat, and Osita Nwanevu—a contributing editor at The New Republic and columnist at The Guardian whose work focuses on democracy and political economy—in the form of an eagle. Featuring original music by Jim O'Rourke and Jorma Whittaker of Marmoset, with a healthy dose of dark comedy and trenchant political critique, Episode 8 of Derek Larson’s Très Mall series asks what the United States, and the world, might look like without the Electoral College. Jon takes us through the long-standing efforts to abolish the Electoral College since its inception in 1787, when it was originally created to give white southern voters more voting power. He goes on to trace how this century-old institution underpins modern crises, from immigration enforcement to reproductive rights and climate policy. If you also feel trapped by a system that makes revolt feel impossible and keeps you distracted with dreams of consumption and luxury, take a moment out of your day to consider how voting mechanisms ripple outward, revealing the hidden levers that govern us.