Grossmont Purpose Structure and Limitations of Electoral College Research Paper

The Electoral College

Every 4 years, millions of American citizens go to the polls to vote for their next President. Article II of the Constitution established the Electoral College for presidential elections. Under this system it is possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote yet win the election in a close race. Millions of votes are essentially not counted in the “winner take all” system. How many voters really understand how the process works?

How does the Electoral College work?

Why was it created?

Can it be changed/abolished?

The tone of your essay should be serious, academic, and professional. Your purpose is to inform.

REQUIREMENTS:

Your essay should consist of the following:

1. Title – nothing cute
2. Introduction
   1. NO grabber. Just begin.
   2. Brief statement of the main idea, as I did above (DON’T copy my words!)
   3. The GUIDING QUESTIONs
   4. THESIS STATEMENT as an answer to the G.Q. THE THESIS STATEMENT MAY BE 3 SHORT SENTENCES or ONE SENTENCE IN 3 PARTS.
3. Background
   1. Brief reference to the creation of the Constitution. When. Where. Who.
   2. Brief description of the issues faced in creating the world’s first national election.
   3. How and why did the Founders decide on the Electoral College?

1. BP 1 – How does the Electoral College work? (THIS CAN BE SUBDIVIDED INTO SEVERAL PARAGRAPHS)
   1. Describe the process
   2. Describe possible problems
   3. POSSIBLY INCLUDE GRAPHICS, VISUALS, MAPS

1. BP 2 – By what process can the Electoral College be modified or abolished?
   1. Describe the process
   2. Possible graphics

1. Conclusion
   1. Indicate the argument question (should the Electoral College be abolished?) BUT DO NOT ANSWER IT.

The essay must be at least 5 paragraphs. You may have more than 5. You may divide some of the topics into more than 1 paragraph.

1. Additional requirements:

1. Essay must be in MLA format
   1. Presentation (headers, line spacing, indentation)
   2. In-text citations (including visual)
   3. Works Cited List
2. Your essay must contain at least 1 visual following the instructions we have gone over in class.
3. AVOID PLAGIARISM
   1. All information from outside sources must be cited.
   2. Even if you cite the source, the information must be in YOUR OWN WORDS.
   3. ANY TEXT NOT IN YOUR WORDS MUST BE IN QUOTATION MARKS AND CITED

1. NO MORE THAN ONE QUOTE. The quote should blend seamlessly into your narrative. The quote should serve a purpose. Do NOT dump a meaningless quote into a paragraph just because you are tired of trying to write.

Mechanics

1. Paper must be DOUBLE SPACED. No extra space between paragraphs. No extra space between entries on works cited list.
2. Margins must align.
3. Font size no less than 11; no more than 12.
4. Font: simple is best. I prefer Calibri.
5. Word count: 600-1,000. I look for QUALITY, not quantity.
6. First sentence of each paragraph should be indented 7-10 spaces.