Electoral College

Paper Summary:

This paper provides an argument for the United States to adopt a popular vote system, where each citizen gets one vote. The paper looks at the composition of the electoral college and studies what conditions led to this body's creation in the first place. The paper then details why the current political and social climate no longer necessitate the electoral college system.

Outline:
Origins and Composition
Theoretical Concerns
Practical Difficulties

From the Paper:

"The Electoral College system rests on the principle that states play a significant part in deciding national politics. The number of a state's electoral votes is equal to the number of its senators and representatives, with the District of Columbia being allocated three votes. This comes to a total of 538 electoral votes. To win a presidential election, a candidate thus has to carry at least half the number of electoral votes (Wilson and DiLulio 373)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Edwards, George. Why the Electoral College is Bad for America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004.
• Felsenthal, David and Moshe Hachover. The Measurement of Voting Power. Northampton: Edward Elgar, 1998
• Grofman, Bernard and Scott L. Feld. "Thinking About the Political Impacts of the Electoral College." Public Choice (2005) 123:1-18.
• Kimberling, William. The Electoral College. U>S. Federal Election Commission, 2004.
• Wilson, James Q. and John Dilulio. American Government: Institution and Policies. 10th edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

More papers on Electoral College:

• Essay # 74121 : "Electoral College"
• Research Paper # 93019 : "Electoral College"
• Essay # 86068 : "The Electoral College in the United States"
• Essay # 32036 : "Is the Electoral College Still a Viable Determinant?"

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