Representation and the Electoral College

Representation and the Electoral College PDF Author: Robert M. Alexander
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190939451
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Nearly 800 proposals have been made to amend or abolish the Electoral College, and its divisiveness raises many questions. What role do electors play in American democracy? How should they vote? Should the Electoral College exist at all? Much confusion surrounds this institution, in large part because of how the original Electoral College varies from its contemporary counterpart, the evolved Electoral College. This book helps readers to understand the distinction and how we got where we are today. Focusing on the controversial 2016 election, in which Trump received nearly three million fewer popular votes than Clinton, Representation and the Electoral College shows how the Electoral College acts on behalf of the American public and alters election outcomes. In exploring the origin, development, and practice of the Electoral College, this study also presents the most extensive analysis of presidential electors to date.

Representation and the Electoral College

Representation and the Electoral College PDF Author: Robert M. Alexander
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190939451
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book Here

Book Description
Nearly 800 proposals have been made to amend or abolish the Electoral College, and its divisiveness raises many questions. What role do electors play in American democracy? How should they vote? Should the Electoral College exist at all? Much confusion surrounds this institution, in large part because of how the original Electoral College varies from its contemporary counterpart, the evolved Electoral College. This book helps readers to understand the distinction and how we got where we are today. Focusing on the controversial 2016 election, in which Trump received nearly three million fewer popular votes than Clinton, Representation and the Electoral College shows how the Electoral College acts on behalf of the American public and alters election outcomes. In exploring the origin, development, and practice of the Electoral College, this study also presents the most extensive analysis of presidential electors to date.

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? PDF Author: Alexander Keyssar
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 067497414X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
A New Statesman Book of the Year “America’s greatest historian of democracy now offers an extraordinary history of the most bizarre aspect of our representative democracy—the electoral college...A brilliant contribution to a critical current debate.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of They Don’t Represent Us Every four years, millions of Americans wonder why they choose their presidents through an arcane institution that permits the loser of the popular vote to become president and narrows campaigns to swing states. Congress has tried on many occasions to alter or scuttle the Electoral College, and in this master class in American political history, a renowned Harvard professor explains its confounding persistence. After tracing the tangled origins of the Electoral College back to the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Keyssar outlines the constant stream of efforts since then to abolish or reform it. Why have they all failed? The complexity of the design and partisan one-upmanship have a lot to do with it, as do the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the South’s long history of restrictive voting laws. By revealing the reasons for past failures and showing how close we’ve come to abolishing the Electoral College, Keyssar offers encouragement to those hoping for change. “Conclusively demonstrates the absurdity of preserving an institution that has been so contentious throughout U.S. history and has not infrequently produced results that defied the popular will.” —Michael Kazin, The Nation “Rigorous and highly readable...shows how the electoral college has endured despite being reviled by statesmen from James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson to Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole, and Gerald Ford.” —Lawrence Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

Let the People Pick the President

Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Jesse Wegman
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250221986
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
“Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with..." —Publishers Weekly The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when every vote does not count the same, and the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? Twice in the last five elections, the Electoral College has overridden the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire system into question—and creating a false picture of a country divided into bright red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. Even when the popular-vote winner becomes president, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes didn't matter. And, with statewide winner-take-all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the American people is clear: The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all Americans is neither fair nor just. Major reform is needed—now. Isn't it time to let the people pick the president? In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from campaign managers, field directors, and other officials from twenty-first-century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.

On the Representation of Minorities of Electors to Act with the Majority, in Elected Assemblies

On the Representation of Minorities of Electors to Act with the Majority, in Elected Assemblies PDF Author: Thomas Gilpin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Proportional representation
Languages : en
Pages : 22

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Book Description


Life in Numbers: The Electoral College

Life in Numbers: The Electoral College PDF Author: Margaret King
Publisher: Teacher Created Materials
ISBN: 1425850138
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 51

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Book Description
The Electoral College is a complex system influenced by various factors in the United States' rich history. Some of the ideas behind the Electoral College--such as ensuring that smaller states were given a vote--still apply today. However, the Electoral College has changed over the years in ways that the framers of the Constitution did not anticipate. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Electoral College with this full-color informational text that explores contemporary issues through high-interest content! Packed with fun facts, fascinating sidebars, and featuring TIME© content and images, this nonfiction book has text features such as a glossary, an index, and a table of contents to engage students in reading as they build their comprehension, vocabulary, and reading skills. The Reader's Guide and extended Try It! activity increase understanding of the material, and develop higher-order thinking. Check It Out! offers print and online resources for additional reading. Keep students reading from cover to cover with this captivating text!

The Electoral College

The Electoral College PDF Author: William C. Kimberling
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electoral college
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description


The Electoral College

The Electoral College PDF Author: Phil Corso
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
ISBN: 1725310775
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
The Electoral College is the body of people who elect the president and vice president of the United States. Many U.S. citizens are confused by this system, which dates back to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. When citizens vote for a presidential candidate, they're actually voting for an elector who will cast a vote for their state for that candidate in the Electoral College. This system is a controversial subject in American politics. Primary sources and informative sidebars lend historical context to help young readers understand this essential aspect of U.S. presidential elections.

The Electoral College

The Electoral College PDF Author: Lucius Wilmerding
Publisher: New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press
ISBN:
Category : Electoral college
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description


Abolishing of the Electoral College

Abolishing of the Electoral College PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Election of President, Vice-President, and Representatives in Congress
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Presidents
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description


The Electoral College

The Electoral College PDF Author: Carol Hand
Publisher: 'The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc'
ISBN: 1499468598
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
The democratic process is one of the most iconic and important parts of American history and culture. However, there has long been controversy surrounding one particular aspect of that process: the Electoral College. Packed with easily digestible text, eye-catching graphic features, and engaging fact boxes, this book provides a primer on the Electoral College, how it works, and why some people argue it should be abolished and replaced with a popular voting process.