DISCUSSION 1 POL201
| Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion question, read Chapters 5 and 6 in American Government. In addition, read the following articles: “What Are the Arguments Made in Favor – and Against – the Electoral College?,” “GOP Leaders United in Defense of the Electoral College,” and the ProQuest article “Why the Electoral College is Bad for America.” Also, please watch this week’s videos,Episode I – A More Perfect Union and Episode II – It’s a Free Country regarding the U.S. Constitution. |
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Reflect: As the textbook author asserts, the Framers intentionally designed a process for selecting presidents that would minimize the president’s political power – the Electoral College. They hoped this institution would insulate the chief executive from the public because they feared the power of presidents who might be elected by the people. However, the Electoral College has also spawned a long ongoing debate about whether the Electoral College should be abandoned in favor of new methods, which would ensure that the candidate elected has the most popular votes. The controversy over the Electoral College must be understood in order to better understand how and why U.S. presidents are elected. |
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Write: In your initial post, summarize how the Electoral College works. Explain some of the main pros and cons in the debate about whether to keep or abolish the current Electoral College process. In addition, evaluate one proposal to change how the system works without formally abolishing it. Would this proposal effectively address some of the cons that you identified earlier in your post? Please explain your response.
Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words. Your initial post must be 200 to 250 words. Support your position with APA citations from two or more of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.
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