Researcher ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-9508-749X
Graduation Year
2021
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Politics and International Relations
Second Department
Humanities: Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture
Reader 1
Jon Shields
Reader 2
David Roselli
Reader 3
Andrew Aisenberg
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2021 Julia Rose Foodman
Abstract
The goal of this thesis is to critique the current American Presidential electoral system, the Electoral College, and to show what an alternative could potentially mean for the American people. This paper seeks to answer the following questions: What are the main arguments for the Electoral College, why are they troubling, and how can we mend American Presidential elections for the greater purposes of political equality, democracy, and freedom? To do so, core arguments made by conservative pundits in favor of the Electoral College are outlined in order to bring attention to their logical, political, and moral inconsistencies. The inequalities highlighted by these pro-Electoral College arguments require a multifaceted solution; outlined is one such solution that enhances universal suffrage and democratizes the electoral system in order to legitimize Presidential authority. Regardless of its implementation, it is undoubtedly concluded that the Electoral College exemplifies a public interest in inequality, undermines the legitimacy of Presidential authority, and stands only as a mere symptom of a much greater problem at hand.
Recommended Citation
Foodman, Julia Rose, "America’s Presidential Crisis of Legitimacy: How the Electoral College Became Obsolete and How We Can Fix It" (2021). Scripps Senior Theses. 1628.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1628
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