Pro, Con, and Neutral Articles about the Electoral College

Presented below are 15 articles that are neutral, pro, and con on the Electoral College, to offer more information about how the president of the United states is elected.

Neutral:

  1. Allyson Waller, “The Electoral College Explained,” nytimes.com, Dec. 14, 2020 – Explains the Electoral College with historical references and answers to questions such as “What happens in a tie?” and “What if electors break their pledge?”
  2. Erin Blakemore, “Here’s Why the Electoral College Exists—and How It Could Be Reformed,” nationalgeographic.com, Oct. 16, 2020 – Outlines the history of the EC and how it works, then looks at options for reforming how presidential elections are decided.
  3. Jan Wolfe, “Explainer: The Electoral College and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Race,” reuters.com, Oct. 12, 2020 – Covers details of the Electoral College workings, including faithless electors, what happens if no candidate reaches 270 votes, and what it would take to change this system.
  4. Zachary B. Wolf, “The Electoral College, Explained,” cnn.com, Nov. 3, 2020 – Explains why the framers of the Constitution chose this system, describes how it works, and explores some pros and cons.
  5. Jack Rakove and Michael W. McConnell, “Should We Abolish the Electoral College?,” stanfordmag.org, Sep./Oct. 2016 – Two professors lay out the pros and cons of the Electoral College and potential methods of reform.

Pro Electoral College:

  1. David Harsanyi, “The Electoral College, Now More Than Ever,” nationalreview.com, Nov. 18, 2020 – Makes an argument for how the EC protects the interests of states with lower populations that still make important contributions to the nation, such as corn-producing Iowa. Also posits that there is no such thing as a “popular vote” because people are voting for electors.
  2. Richard P. Bruneau, “Why The Electoral College Is Still Good For The United States,” thefederalist.com, Nov. 19, 2020 – Presents a case for the importance of the EC as a stabilizing force on the nation that guards against voter fraud.
  3. Karl Rove, “The Lovely but Unloved Electoral College,” wsj.com, Apr. 10, 2019 – The former Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush goes through a thought exercise to show potential negative outcomes that would arise if the Electoral College were abolished.
  4. Allen Guelzo, “In Defense of the Electoral College,” nationalaffairs.com, Winter 2018 – Looks at how the Electoral College is rooted in the Constitution and refutes arguments that favor abolishing it.
  5. John Yoo, “A Defense of the Electoral College in the Time of Trump,” Pepperdine Law Review, Apr. 12, 2019 – Examines the Electoral College in modern politics, analyzes alternatives, and lays out the thought process behind the original choice to adopt this system.

Con Electoral College:

  1. Nicholas Casey, “Meet the Electoral College’s Biggest Critics: Some of the Electors Themselves,” nytimes.com, Dec. 12, 2020 – Offers perspective from people serving as electors and explains the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a plan that would see states casting their electoral votes for the winner of the popular vote.
  2. Dan Glickman, “Let us abolish the Electoral College,” thehill.com, Oct. 6, 2020 – Argues that abolishing the Electoral College would lead to increased civic participation and count every voter equally.
  3. Isobel Van Hagen, “The Electoral College Should Be Abolished, Reformers Say,” teenvogue.com, Nov. 4, 2020 – Covers the perspective of advocates for ending the Electoral College.
  4. G. Alan Tarr, “Five Common Misconceptions About the Electoral College,” theatlantic.com, Nov. 29, 2019 – Attacks five common myths used to defend the Electoral College.
  5. Darrell M. West, “It’s Time to Abolish the Electoral College,” brookings.edu, Oct. 15, 2019 – A former Electoral College defender explains the reasons why he no longer thinks the institution is good for American politics, including income inequality and overrepresentation of smaller states.