Will History Repeat Itself in 2004?

Explains why close U.S. presidential elections, similar to the election in 2000, could in future decided by the electoral college, with the popular-vote winner losing the White House. Examples of previous minority-vote presidents, including Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison; Observation that sparsely populated rural states have disproportionate clout in the electoral college system; Observation that industrial battleground states like Ohio and Pennsylvania could swing an election; Possibility that a third-party candidate like the Green Party's Ralph Nader could tip the scales; Speculation about whether legislators will ever consider changing the system.