Part 1 Directions:   We know that the Founders felt strongly that the Electoral College would help to protect the interests of the states and be a check against the “tyranny of the majority”

Part 1 Directions:   We know that the Founders felt strongly that the Electoral College would help to protect the interests of the states and be a check against the “tyranny of the majority”. But in today’s time are those checks still needed? There’s debate on both sides. Find out more about the issues on each side of the Electoral College debate. Read the sources below and record your findings on the chart provided (in bullet points).

• Time.com
• Harvard Magazine
• Real Clear Politics
• Slate
• PBS NewsHour
• National Conference of State Legislatures

Part 2 Direction:  Visit 270towin and use the 2000 and 2016 election result data to complete the charts below. 

2000 Presidential Election

2016 Presidential Election

Part 3 Directions: Use what you’ve learned in class and the information you collected in Parts 1 and 2 to compose an argumentative essay in which you argue that either the Electoral College is the best method for selecting a President or that the popular vote should be used.  Your essay should follow the structure of an argumentative essay and include the following:

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• A clear argument for the Electoral College or a national popular vote.
• Historical perspective and process of the Electoral College.
• Three reasons supporting your position.
• Address at least one counter-argument and refute it.
• Evidence from parts 1 and 2 to support your arguments.