Stanchak 1

Morgan Stanchak

Mrs. Debock

English IV Honors 2nd block

23 February 2017

Essential Question: Is the Electoral College fair or unfair when voting for President of the United

States?

Working Thesis: The Electoral College has divided the American people and many people

believe that the system of how we vote for president should be changed, while others believe that

it should stay the same.

Refined Thesis:The Electoral College system is by no means perfect, but it has ideas in it that is

sufficient in order to have the right man or woman earn the job as President of the United States.

Annotated Bibliography

Ballaro, Beverly, and Cheryl Bourassa. "Electoral College: An Overview." Points Of View:

Electoral College (2016): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 17 Feb.

2017.

This article contains an overview on the American voting system. The President of the

United States is not selected by the popular vote. Many people do not know that our President is

elected by a group of people that the states vote for. This article explains how many votes are

given to each state and how many votes a candidate needs to win. It also explains the four times

the Electoral College seemed to fail the American People when the popular vote voted for one

candidate while the Electoral College voted for another candidate. The article also talks about
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how the Founding Fathers of America came up with the idea of the Electoral College, and

compares it to how it works today, I chose this article because it gives a knowledgeable

background that is needed for my topic.

Bowman, Jeffrey, and Tracey M. DiLascio. "Counterpoint: Why We Need The Electoral

College." Points Of View: Electoral College (2016): 3. Points of View Reference Center.

Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

In this article, it explains how contrary to popular belief, America is a republic and not a

democracy. In the background it states that the Electoral College has and why the framers of our

constitution chose it. In the same paragraph it says that the Electoral College works for the well

being of minorities within the United States. The describes how minorities have a major impact

in many states around the US when it comes to selecting the President of the United States. The

article also states the reforms people have made and have tried to make to the Electoral College.

It also states that the Electoral College is a functional system, and although it is flawed it still

works for the well-being of American citizens. I chose this article because it shows the side of

the importance of the Electoral College and helps my research by showing me the republican

side of the issue,

"The Electoral College Debate." Congressional Digest 96.1 (2017): 1. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

In this article is states more of the problems from the past 2016 American Presidential

Election. During the time the Electoral College was created, there were no political parties, and
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the Founding Fathers feared that one candidate would blow the other out of the water. This is

then compared to the circumstances of America today which is that there are political parties and

there is a close race in the popular vote. It then goes on to talk about the debate of whether or not

America should keep its voting system within the Electoral College, or if it should move onto the

Popular Vote. I chose the article because it looks over the debate of the Electoral College and

provides sufficient facts about the history of the debate.

Plumer, Bradford. "The Electoral College Should Be Abolished." Democracy. Ed. Mike Wilson.

Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Indefensible

Electoral College." www.motherjones.com 8 Oct. 2004. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

In the beginning of this article it provides examples of people who have believed that the

Electoral College should be abolished. It states that not always are the people who make up the

Electoral College voted on by the people. It also talks about how the 2000 Election chaos is not

the worst chaos that could come out of the Electoral College. It also talks about arguments

against and for the Electoral College. It states the pros and cons of a Direct Election. I picked this

article because it shows one side of the argument of the Electoral College debate and ways that

the Electoral College could be changed, and it provides ways to vote without the Electoral

College.

"The Pros And Cons Of The Electoral College System." Supreme Court Debates 69.1 (2017):

18. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

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This article starts with opinions from two different people about the Electoral College,

Both of them believe in the abolishment of the Electoral College. The article then states the pros

and cons of the Electoral College and provides ways to improve the college and why it should be

kept the same. The article also has more opinions from other legislators in the United States,

some believe that it should be changed will others think it should and will stay the same. I chose

this article because it not only provides facts about the pros and cons Electoral College, but it

also provides opinions from elected officials about the Electoral College.

Ross, Tara. "The Electoral College Should Not Be Abolished." Democracy. Ed. Mike Wilson.

Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Electoral College:

Enlightened Democracy." Legal Memorandum. 2004. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17

Feb. 2017.

Contrary to one of my other articles, this article talks about why the Electoral College should

not abolished. The article states how the Electoral College protects small states, which is

something the popular vote does not do. It talks about how Presidential Candidates would only

have to campaign in one or two states to win the popular vote. This article does not show the

other side of the argument. It also talks about how if it came down to the popular vote, many of

the votes would be wasted. I chose this article because it shows the other side of the argument on

whether or not the Electoral College is fair or not, and it shares more opinions on why it is fair.