General elections for the presidency
* Use proper written form and citations when referring to material in the textbook, audios, or newspaper as described in the Basic Guidelines for submitted and posted content in the class in the About This Course section. Separate paragraphs are required in all assignments.
* Submit your essay here by Sunday, March 27 at 11:00 p.m. (EST)
Assumption
You are now an expert on general elections for the presidency.
Assignment
The Electoral College is a mechanism of electing presidents that dates from a 1787 compromise. The winning election coalition celebrates the Electoral College’s consistency with American federalism and the Electoral College winner usually coincides with the winner of the overall popular vote. The losing election coalition of a popular vote winner (such as Al Gore in the 2000 election or Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election) may decry its inconsistencies with truly representative government.
1. Explain the logic behind the Electoral College system of choosing a president, including how it can be seen as relevant even in the modern age.
2. Describe an altered Electoral College system or an alternative way of electing presidents and then explain what weaknesses it might introduce into the election process.
