Members of the Constitutional Convention explored many possible methods of choosing
a president. One suggestion was to have the Congress choose the president. A second
suggestion was to have the State Legislatures select the president. A third suggestion
was to elect the president by a direct popular vote.
The first suggestion was voted down due to suspicion of corruption, fears of irrevocably
dividing the Congress and concerns of upsetting the balance of power between the
executive and the legislative branches. The second idea was voted down because the
Framers felt that federal authority would be compromised in exchange for votes. And
the third idea was rejected out of concern that the voters would only select candidates
from their state without adequate information about candidates outside of the state. The
prevailing suggestion was to have a College of Electors select a president through an
indirect election.
The Facts:
 The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors
 Each state is allotted a certain number of electors that is equal to the number of its
U. S. Representatives plus its two senators (Washington, D. C. has three electors)
 The political parties of each state submit a list of individuals pledged to their
candidates for president that is equal in number to the number of electoral votes for the
state to the State’s chief election official
 Whichever presidential candidate gets the most popular votes in a State will win all the
Electors (known as “winner takes all”) for that state except for the states of Maine and
Nebraska which award electoral votes proportionately
 Electors are not required to vote for the candidate they pledged to vote for
 Changing the system would require amending the Constitution
Assignment
Use the information provided, in addition to your knowledge and some research to write
a persuasive essay in which you argue whether the Electoral college is the best method
of electing a President. In your essay, be sure to include the following:
I. Historical perspective of the Electoral College
II. Pros and Cons of the system (give at least two examples for each)
III. Your argument for or against the Electoral College?
 If you support it, explain why
 If you oppose it, explain why and propose an alternative
IV. Your essay should contain at least 3-4 paragraphs. Each paragraph should contain
at least 4 sentences.