Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Richard Holtzman
Second Faculty Advisor
John Dietrich
Keywords
Electoral College; voting procedures; reform; representation; public opinion
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC - BY - NC - ND
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a lot of criticism of the Electoral College coming from scholars, the public, and some politicians. This paper will investigate the creation and history of the Electoral College before analyzing the accuracy of its representation of voters and current public opinion of the Electoral College. The data collected for this research will assist in the analysis and comparison of proposed ideas to highlight reform that would be the most effective for the U.S. population and election cycles in the future. Qualitative research will be used to analyze the Electoral College and surrounding themes. Findings will include a clear evaluation of the Electoral College; the accuracy of its representation, the public’s opinion of it, and existing ideas for reform. An analysis of the findings will then be conducted in order to create three criteria for evaluating the existing proposed reform. Ultimately this evaluation in addition to the analysis and comparison of seven proposed reform ideas will lead to suggestions on the best way for the United States to move forward. At the conclusion of the paper, the Proportional Plan will be determined as the proposed solution, or the best current option for implementation.
