Written Assignment 5

docx

School

Thomas Edison State College *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

102

Subject

English

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by ProfessorOryxMaster555

1 The Electoral College: A Relic of the Past Thomas Edison State University ENC-102: English Composition II Professor Miriam Garrant May 1, 2022

2 The Electoral College: A Relic of the Past Thesis: While it has been stated that the Electoral College more fairly represents smaller states in Presidential elections, the United States should abolish the Electoral College due to its unequal representation of the American people as well and its direct ties to slavery at its inception. I) Many people still believe that the Electoral College still plays a vital role in presidential elections. A) By providing greater representation to smaller states, the Electoral College ensures that the United States maintains a federalist system of government. 1) According to McCollester (2007), Americans desire a balanced government, where things like the bicameral legislature and the Electoral College exist to make sure no branch of government is more powerful than the other. B) The Electoral College ensures small states are not ignored in the presidential election. 1) Glenn (2003) writes that the presidential hopeful must seek the support of a broader electorate due to the power that is given to small states. C) The Electoral College promotes political stability via the two-party system. 1) McCollester (2007) points out that multi-party systems have divided nations throughout history. The Electoral College has caused the United States to evolve into a two-party system, which although divisive, is stable and functional. II) Despite the claim that the Electoral College does not provide equal representation and still ignores smaller states. A) Due to the fact that all but two states are winner-take-all, the majority of states are just not worth visiting. The states that get the most attention are swing states, or states that

3 could vote for either a Democrat or Republican. This means that many states still get ignored by presidential candidates. 1) In his piece in the Washington Post, Adrian Blanco (2020) tracks the campaign stops that Biden and Trump made in the leadup to the 2020 election. Of the over 200 campaign stops between August and November, 12 states accounted for over 95% of the visits. The case was similar in 2016, as reported by ABC News. III) Despite many claims otherwise, slavery was one of the premier reasons that the presidential selection process in the United States is via the Electoral College. A) Clayton (2007) points out that some Founders were concerned that a direct election would lead to disproportionate representation between the northern states and southern states since the slave population did not presently count towards the population (29). 1) The disparity in population led to the Three-fifths Compromise, which stated that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted towards overall state population. This meant that the South received many more seats in the House of Representatives and ultimately the Electoral College.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 References Clayton, D. M. (2007). The Electoral College: An Idea Whose Time Has Come and Gone. Black Scholar , 37 (3), 28–41. https://doi-org.fir.tesu.edu/10.1080/00064246.2007.11413406 McCollester, M. (2007). Counterpoint: Preserving the Electoral College. International Social Science Review , 82 (3/4), 182–186. Bolinger, B. (2007). Point: Abolishing the Electoral College. International Social Science Review , 82 (3/4), 179–182. Glenn, G. (2003). The Electoral College and the Development of American Democracy. Perspectives on Political Science , 32 (1), 4. https://doi-org.fir.tesu.edu/10.1080/10457090309604829 Blanco, A. (2020, November 2). Amid the pandemic, Trump and Biden traveled most often to Pennsylvania and Florida . The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/11/02/campaign-rallies-covid/ Smith, C., & Kreutz, L. (2016, November 7). Hillary Clinton's and Donald Trump's Campaigns by the Numbers . ABC News. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trumps-campaigns- numbers/story? id=43356783

Written Assignment 5

Related Documents