Helms 1

Annotated Bibliography
Relevance of the Electoral College Today

Shelby Helms
Professor Campbell
UWRT 1103
16 March 2016

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"U. S. Electoral College, Official - What Is the Electoral College?" National Archives and
Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 13 Mar.

Commented [A1]: Italics?

2016.
This website is the direct Electoral College website. It gives a description as to what the electoral
college is and what it is about. It also shows how the Electoral College has impacted elections in
the past and which states went republican, democrat, or even independent in some cases. I think
that this is a very good source because it is the direct website about the Electoral College. It has
multiple facts and good information on the history. It is coming from the Electoral College itself
so it strongly supports the Electoral College. It focuses on the importance of the system and how
it has effected the political process throughout history. This is very reliable because it is where

Commented [A2]: You could add more analysis on how it

is important

the Electoral facts are recorded. I will definitely be using this source because it states the positive
things about the Electoral College. I will be stacking a lot of the information it gives me against
the negative aspects to further present my topic.

Commented [A3]: Is this source useful as in will it provide

useful facts other than unbiased facts?

"Science Buzz." Arguments against the Electoral College. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
This site explicitly shows the flaws of the Electoral College. It explains how the process can hurt
people supporting a party that is not popular in their state. It also gives very little power to

Commented [A4]: How is this source credible?

people of small states. This system was originally put into place because it was believed that the
general public was not educated enough to make decisions about the leaders of our country but
now people have the ability to become educated, so why is the electoral college still in place?
This website investigates this topic and does a decent job of explaining the cons of the Electoral
College in todays society. I think that it is a reliable site because it is supported by the National
Science Foundation. It also states exact dates and examples of major events that point to the fact
that it is reliable. I will definitely be using this source because it is very clearly laid out so I can

Commented [A5]: You could add more facts that the

source listed

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pick through the information. I think that it presents interesting views on all of the points it
presents.

Commented [A6]: Maybe had usefulness

"Abolish the Electoral College." US News. U.S.News & World Report, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
This is a very strong article that talks about why the United States should abolish the Electoral
College. They feel as if the system is very easily manipulated. The Electoral College somewhat
defeats the purpose of a democracy. Many republicans are especially rooting for the change. It is

Commented [A7]: this a credible source since it is US

news? You should probably expand on why it is a good
source

believed that the system was manipulated in 1800 in Virginia by adopting a winner take all
system to make sure that Thomas Jefferson won for their state. I think that this is a reliable
source because it is supporting one side of the information that I am attempting to present. I feel

Commented [A8]: This is good and you should expand on

that.

that it helps me to get supportive evidence on both ends of the spectrum. It presents what the
Electoral College is meant to do and then why they think that it is irrelevant. This helps me to
present each opposing side and why people think that each are true.
Adkison, Danny M, and Christopher Elliott. "The Electoral College: a Misunderstood
Institution." Ps: Political Science and Politics. 30.1 (1997): 77-80. Print.
This is a great scholarly article that clearly spells out the Electoral College and everything about
how it works. It describes the winner-take- all system, selection of Electors, faults, and strengths.

Commented [A9]: Great start.

It also discusses the criticisms and praises of the system which is helpful for my research. It
focuses mostly on how the Electoral College is misunderstood in society. Even textbooks
sometimes draw conclusions about the overall system that are not necessarily true. I think that
this is a reliable source because it was written by a professor and a Law student who pulled
information from scholarly sources listed at the bottom of the article. They used a lot of
Government news sources which look to be reliable since they report studies and other surveys

Commented [A10]: This is good. You should expand on

this

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on what people think of the Electoral College. I will definitely be using this source because it has
a lot of historical and scientific evidence for the Electoral College. It does not go into a lot of
detail about each side but it makes up for it with the policymakers and information from the
public that my other sources do not.

Overall I like your sources and you should double check on Purdue Owl to see if you cited right.
You should expand on your analysis and maybe add more usefulness. This is great and you are
heading in the right direction.