For more technical details on the machinery that the ancient greeks used to select folks:   
<a href="http://www.alamut.com/subj/artiface/deadMedia/agoraMuseum.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.alamut.com/subj/artiface/deadMedia/agoraMuseum.ht...</a><p>From the OP article:<p>&#62; <i>The pressures of party politics have ensured that, although the formal mechanism remains the same, today's electors are bound by their party mandate to vote for the party's candidates; hence, the outcome of the election turns entirely on the party composition of the Electoral College.</i><p>In many states, it is against the law for an electoral college elector to vote for anyone other than the party that appointed them.<p>Disclaimer: I actually ran for elected office in 2008. While I came in dead last, I learned a lot and had a blast. In your local community, you will find that there are part time positions that you (hah! even you!) can run for. If there is an office you care about, then I recommend you learn what it takes and then run for office.