Should the Electoral College Be Abolished? Pros & Cons
This paper examines arguments for and against abolishing the Electoral College, the constitutional mechanism used to elect the U.S. President. The paper traces the system's origins in the federal compromise between large and small states, analyzes how it affects voter influence and candidate campaign strategy, and discusses criticisms that it can override the popular will. It also considers reform alternatives, including the congressional district method adopted by Maine and Nebraska, as a potential middle ground between preserving state-based representation and strengthening individual voter impact.
- Introduction: Overview of Electoral College and its core tension
- Historical Origins and Federalist Compromise: Colonial roots of state-versus-federal power balance
- Criticism and Defense of the Electoral College: Popular will concerns and small-state protections debated
- Impact on Campaign Strategy and Voter Participation: How Electoral College shapes where candidates campaign
- Reform Alternatives: The Maine and Nebraska Model: Congressional district method as a compromise reform
- Conclusion: Individual voter influence versus state representation
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What makes this paper effective
- Balances competing perspectives by presenting both defenses of the Electoral College (protecting smaller states) and criticisms (undermining individual voter influence), allowing readers to weigh the evidence.
- Uses concrete examples — particularly the 2000 election and the campaign behavior of Bush and Gore in New York and Texas — to ground abstract arguments in observable political reality.
- Introduces a practical reform alternative (the Maine and Nebraska model) rather than simply arguing for abolition, which adds nuance and policy relevance to the analysis.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates source-integrated argumentation: it cites scholars and policy commentators (Glassmann, Samples) not merely to attribute claims but to advance the paper's own analytical thread. Each citation is followed by the author's own evaluative commentary, modeling how to use sources as evidence rather than as a substitute for argument.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief framing introduction that states the central question and the author's thesis. A discussion section forms the body, moving logically from historical context to specific criticisms, to campaign strategy effects, and finally to a reform proposal. A short conclusion synthesizes the core tension between state-level representation and individual voter influence. This is a tight, well-sequenced argumentative essay appropriate for an introductory undergraduate course in political science or American government.
Introduction
The Electoral College system for electing the President was widely examined and often criticized following the November 2000 election. Twice in recent history, the country has faced the possibility that a presidential candidate would win most of the popular vote and yet lose in the Electoral College. The Electoral College interferes with the individual voter's opportunity to express a preference for one candidate over another, because only the Electoral College votes ultimately count.
We often say we have a democratic government, but in reality, we have a largely federalist government. While we use direct votes to elect members of Congress, we use the Electoral College to choose our highest elected official — the President. Each state has a certain number of members in the Electoral College, and with rare exceptions, all Electoral College votes for one state go to the candidate who received the majority of votes in that state. The number of electoral votes equals the number of Representatives and Senators combined. Thus, the distribution of electoral votes has shifted over time as the population of the country has shifted. Each time congressional seats are redistributed, it is possible that some states will gain or lose electoral votes.
Works Cited
Author not available. "Election System Need Overhaul?" Los Angeles Business Journal. Nov. 13, 2000.
Author not available. "The Electoral College: Don't Drop Out." National Review. Dec. 4, 2000.
Glassmann, James. "Reform the Electoral College, Don't Toss It." American Enterprise. March 2001.
Samples, John. "Lessons of the 2000 Election." USA Today. May 2001.
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