Shira:

http://uselectionatlas.org/INFORMATION/INFORMATION/electcollege_procon.php
******http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Electoral-College-voting-rights/2015/07/02
/id/653350/
http://parade.com/470691/kmccleary/electoral-college-pros-cons/

Pros

Gives direct power to states because we as people in the state support some ideas
support someone who has the same ideas and they are the people who go to the
electoral college so it represents the state
It facilitates a two-party system states newsmax.com .It creates more stability for the two
parties. This is because the two parties can have a general platform instead of many
parties focused on specific issues.
Its very accurate

Cons
Could possibly elect a minority president

This is showing how if 60% of the country is republican since they have two
candidates for that state, each person running gets 35% but if 40% of the country
is democratic, since they would have one candidate for that state, 40 is more than
35 so the democrat president would win votes for the state making it unfair
because the majority isnt winning and the minority is.
It is complicated and persuades people from voting.
A popular vote is just a majority vote but in the electoral college, you redistribute
votes every 10 years because of population changes and electing delegates. The
many more steps added onto that make people feel that their vote doesn't matter
making them stay home and not want to vote on election day states U.S election
Atlas.
Small states and swing states get more power.
One man does not equal one vote. Californias 55 Electoral College votes mean there
are 705,454 people per vote while there are only 194,717 people for each of
Wyomings three electoral votes, according The Green Papers

Tyler-https://netivist.org/debate/electoral-college-pros-and-cons
In the Electoral College system, voters cast their ballots to elect designated
intermediaries, known as electors, who have usually pledged to vote for a particular
"ticket", i.e. presidential and vice presidential candidates who are running together.
There are currently 538 electors, representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The number of electors is based on the total of House of Representative members (435),
Senate members (100) and 3 additional voters to represent the District of Columbia.
Pros:
The system tends to represent more the diversity of the country. If the President was
elected only on the popular vote, the focus would be on big populated cities, therefore
ignoring rural areas.
The Electoral College is also the reflection of the federal character of the United States.
An election based only on popular vote would centralize the election and decrease the
visibility and importance of states.
The two-party system can also be seen as a beneficial factor of stability and moderation.
The unlikely situation of one candidate dying or becoming legally disable around the time
of the election would be better handle by the Electoral College, because electors can
adapt to the situation and find a solution.
Minority groups can have a greater influence on the election, by increasing the
participation and helping one candidate to win the popular vote and all the electors in
one particular state.
Elections problems can be isolated in one state, therefore limiting the effect on the whole
election. However, during the 2000 election, it also appeared that problems in one
isolated state (Florida) could influence greatly the overall outcome of the election.
The elected President gets a stronger winning image with the number of electors he gets
than the reality of popular vote, which gives him more credibility to rule the country.
Cons:
Because the candidates focus on the swing states, the issues of the states that generally
go for one party are ignored. The issues of the swing states are focused on more.
The winner takes all system decreases the representation and importance of the minor
parties.
Voters who are not in the swing states are not encouraged to go and vote, because they
know their state usually votes one way and their vote wont matter

Rylee http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-united-states-get-rid-of-the-electoral-college
Pros It protects the minority by helping the less populated states voice be heard
It helps the stability of the two party system
It gives more power to all of the states
It gives the winning candidate majority of the vote (winner takes all)

It gives all the candidates chance for success to become president even if they dont
have the majority vote
Cons A president can win the electoral vote but not win the electoral vote ( This has
happened 4 times before)

More American Citizens can like one president but the other one can win because of the
electoral college
It may affect voters to feel like their vote doesn't matter against the majority vote in their
state so they simply wont vote
Small states and swing states get more power in their vote
It can give the winner an unfair advantage
Jimmy http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tyler-lewis/why-we-should-abolish-the_1_b_8961256.html
````

Pro:
1. It protects minority interests.
The Electoral College preserves the voice of states with lower populations and more
rural areas, Occupy Theory noted. Especially in contemporary times, urban areas tend
to be more populated, but the Electoral College saves the interests of farmers and
those found in less bustling locations.

2. It facilitates a two-party system.

Some political activists may not be fans of the two-party system, but the Republican
verses Democrats structure creates more stability, according to the Asia-Pacific
Economic Blog. The small number of political parties allows for generalized platforms
instead of parties focused on specific issues.

3. It directs more power to the states.

States are given the power to select the delegates to the Electoral College, allowing
them to participate in the selection of a president. It maintains the representative
form of government, according to the U.S. Election Atlas.

Con:
1. The Distribution of Electoral College Votes Per State is Not
Equally Dispersed
The Electoral College was created, in part, to make the states feel
important in a federalist government. If the amount of Electoral College
votes a state receives was directly proportionate to its population,
smaller rural states would be rendered completely irrelevant. So they
gave every state (along with the District of Columbia) a minimum of 3
votes.
While this distribution method successfully stroked the ego of our
smaller states, it produced many unforeseen consequences. For starters,
it made the value of each citizens vote different from that of someone
living in another state.

2. Swing States vs. Safe States

This is because under an Electoral College voting process, an individual vote is
only as valuable as its ability to influence the majority vote of a state. Why?
Because you are not casting a direct vote for President; the electors are. And in
48 states plus the district of Colombia, the citizens majority vote determines
which candidate will receive all the electoral votes from their state.

3. A Person Can Become President By Winning Only 21.8% of

the Popular Vote
As previously stated, the Electoral College is a winner take all system. If
a candidate wins the popular vote of a state by a just a single vote, he
generally receives all the electoral votes of that state (excluding Maine
and Nebraska). Combine this with the fact that smaller states receive
more electoral votes per person than larger states, and it becomes
possible to win the presidency by winning just 21.8% of the American
publics vote.
According to a study done by Jesse Ruderman, A presidential candidate
could be elected with as a little as 21.8% of the popular vote by getting
just over 50% of the votes in DC and each of 39 small states. This is true
even when everyone votes and there are only two candidates. In other
words, a candidate could lose with 78.2% of the popular vote by getting
just under 50% in small states and 100% in large states.
4. Faithless Electors
While electors are generally extremely loyal to the party they align with, they dont have to vote
the way the people of their state instructed them to. In other words, just because a candidate
won the popular vote in your state does not mean that your electors have to cast a vote for said
candidate themselves. Electors that vote against the will of the people are called faithless
electors.
Zachhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-plplOr77cPNW1FZTVNR1ZpbUhMMVpoMVVYZ1BVSDR6Un
hN/view
Pros-

The electoral college was a key part of the compromise between large and small states
at the constitutional convention of 1787.

Cons The popular vote does not always win.

With the electoral college candidates only campaign as hard in states they are trying to
win over.
Rayan
Pros- focuses on the swing states more
-Keeps our federal character
-discourages 3rd parties
-keeps small states as viable participants
- gives us certainty of results
Cons-Discourages 3rd parties
- Gives excessive power to swing states
- Can allow presidential election to be decided by the house of representatives where each state
has one vote
- Can distort the popular vote
- It is very archaic because it is based on political considerations that are no longer relevant