As your readings for this week point out, the President is not elected by a direct vote of the people but rather by the Electoral College. Some argue that this discourages voters from voting if they live in a state that goes for Democrats or Republicans in every election. Voter turnout in “battleground” or “swing” states such as Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania does tend to be higher but there are also reasons for this system.

For this assignment answer the following questions in 3 paragraphs:

1. How are the number of electoral votes decided for each state? How many electoral votes are in your home state? Which Presidential candidate (Obama or Romney) won your state’s electoral votes in the 2012 election?
2. Briefly explain the “pros and cons” of the electoral system. Why do we have the electoral system? What are some arguments against it?
3. Explain what you think. Should the U.S. maintain the current Electoral College system, move toward a national popular vote system, or use the “proportional voting” system for the Electoral College used by Maine and Nebraska?

As with all weekly written assignments, submit your work as an attached file. Double-space your paper and use 12 point Times New Roman as your font.

You may not use websites such as “ask.com” or “wiki answers” in your writing assignment. There are lots of great resources, such as these listed below that provide you with information to answer these questions.

• http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/map/historic.html
• http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#whyec
• http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html
• http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2012/11/defending_the_electoral_college.html
• http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/12/23/voter-turnout-swing-states/1787693/

Be sure to list any of the websites you used for your research by copying and pasting the link at the bottom of your assignment.