The+Electoral+College

An Overview and Reaction to    “Demystifying the Electoral College: 12 Frequently Asked Questions” Published in Social Education, September 2012, Volume 76, Number 4
 * __Civics and the Electoral College __****: **

As a grade school student, I clearly remember assisting my mother in studying for her US citizenship exam. We were given a list of questions and answers covering a wide range of American civic topics. The most confounding governmental question that we faced was the topic of the Electoral College. My mother had a hard time grasping why the United States used this system where her native Mexico used the popular vote for selecting the President. I knew the “what” and “how” of the electoral process but could not offer the “why?” My mother and I could have greatly used Ms. Tiffany Middleton’s overview of common questions on the American electoral process. In this article, Ms. Middleton clearly explores what the Electoral College is, what the constitutions says about it, why do we have it and what controversies surround it. Ms. Middleton is uniquely qualified to address these concerns as a representative of the American Bar Association and as a writer for its journal “Insights on Law & Society.” The intent of this article is to address twelve fundamental questions regarding to this process in order to inform the public.

The strength of this article lies in its didactic exploration of the subject matter. Many Americans as a whole do not know about how their government and elections are supposed to function. The basics of how this system was adopted consume the first third of this paper. Questions such as “Why do we have and Electoral College in the first place?” and “What does the Constitution say about the Electoral College?” provide the reader into the historical context that leads to greater understanding. The student is transported back to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the debates that raged between small and large states. The middle questions focus on technique and practice. Questions such as “Do the electors meet? and “How do states select electors?” confront legal procedures from the lay person’s prospective. States often used different techniques in choosing electors but most have standardized on the direct selection of Electors through popular vote, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska. The remainder of the ariticle’s questions touches on the controversies surrounding this election system. Opinions of those that support the current system and proponents of popular vote and opponents of the “winner takes all” system are explored. Additionally, the author provides small interviews of Electors from the 2008 Electoral College that give students an idea as to who takes part in these proceedings. These small interviews put a human face on this process that students may be able to relate to. The didactic portions of these questions are tackled effectively for a teacher to explain to a middle school class or a high school civics class. My mother and I could have clearly benefited from the facts presented by this article.

This is a strong article but can be improved in several small ways. The last few questions were trending to the reflective mode of inquiry, but could have gone further in their analysis of issues regarding the College. A simple chart directly comparing and contrasting divergent opinions on the relevancy of the current system would greatly aid the teacher in presenting this to students. Ms. Middleton could have provided other reform proposals that have failed to win support and discuss why they were unsuccessful. After reading this, I wanted more controversy to explore for student’s greater understanding. A comparison to other Republican (as in form of government) electoral systems may have provided greater insight. Broadening horizons cross culturally may have helped with more affective thinking, by providing other examples for pupils. Understanding how other cultures select leaders may improve how understanding of why our system developed as it did. Ms. Middleton’s article gives you enough to understand the basics of the Electoral College but instills a desire to learn more. Thankfully, a list of web resources is provided at the end of the article.

I highly recommend the use this article to teach American civics at every level because of its didactic strength and clarity of execution. The answers to the questions posed by this article were clearly answered by the author and easy to read. In my opinion, a senior in High School would not have a problem grasping the ideas found in this work. This article should be required reading material for anyone voting in an election, a civics class or a future Social Studies teacher. I have taken part in class discussions as a Student Observer/Teacher on this subject in which a baseline of information would have greatly improved classroom debate. The didactic knowledge that students needed on this subject simply was not in their textbooks. A well-versed educator can make the cognitive connections to other systems for the edification of a class. A lesson plan exploring the Electoral College could easily be developed using Ms. Middleton’s article. This is a well constructed article and has a place in every teacher’s civics curriculum.