How are voters ever to learn to be good citizens in an antidemocratic system?

[eniwetok]

15. Yup, the popular vote was compromised away

That doesn't mean the popular vote was a bad idea. It's the EC that's the bad idea. So why do we have it? From the minutes of the Constitutional Convention July 19th 1787.. discussing methods of electing a president. Madison is defending the popular vote...

Mr. MADISON. The people at large was in his opinion the fittest in itself. It would be as likely as any that could be devised to produce an Executive Magistrate of distinguished Character. The people generally could only know & vote for some Citizen whose merits had rendered him an object of general attention & esteem. There was one difficulty however of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and seemed on the whole to be liable to fewest objections.