Is the Electoral College Democratic?
Your treatment of this topic should include the following:
• An introduction that states what the electoral college is, briefly summarizes what
your paper is about, and states your thesis (i.e., your answer to the topic question)
(all this can be done in 3 sentences) (5 points);
• A brief explanation of why the framers chose this system over popular election of
the President and of how it currently works (include a discussion of how a state’s
number of electors is determined, how electors are elected, how states award their
electoral votes, how many electoral votes are needed to win, and what happens if
no candidate receives the required number of votes) (30 points);
• A discussion of the main pros and cons of the electoral college (include at least 2
pros and 2 cons), and of public opinion on this method of selecting the President
(cite a poll) (30 points); and
• An evaluation of whether the electoral college is democratic, including
consideration of the way a state’s number of electors is determined and of the way
states award electoral votes (be sure to define democracy and to state the reasons
for your conclusion) (25 points).
