Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion question, read Chapters 5 and 6 in American Government and review Week Three Instructor Guidance. In addition, read the following articles: What Are the Arguments Made in Favor – and Against – the Electoral College?, GOP Leaders United in Defense of the Electoral College, and the ProQuest article Why the Electoral College is Bad for America.

Reflect: As the textbook author
asserts, the Framers intentionally designed a process for selecting
presidents that would minimize the president’s political power – the
Electoral College. They hoped this institution would insulate the chief
executive from the public because they feared the power of presidents
who might be elected by the people. However, the Electoral College has
also spawned a long ongoing debate about whether the Electoral College
should be abandoned in favor of new methods, which would ensure that the
candidate elected has the most popular votes. The controversy over the
Electoral College must be understood in order to better understand how
and why U.S. presidents are elected. After you have read and studied
the Electoral College process, you will critically think about the
process and share your insights as you write your discussion.

Write: For this post, the class
will be divided into three sections. Please be sure to write about the
specific topic you are assigned based on the first letter of your last
name.

First, all students should summarize how the Electoral College functions.

Second, each student will focus on a specific
argument regarding the Electoral College, based on the first letter of
their last name.

If your last name starts with A-K:
Explain the positive impact of the Electoral College and defend why the
Electoral College should remain as it is currently. Be sure to include
both the pros and the cons of keeping the Electoral College as it is
currently.
If your last name starts with L-R: Explain
the negative impact of the Electoral College and defend why the
Electoral College should be abolished. Be sure to include both the pros
and cons of abolishing the Electoral College.
If your last name starts with S-Z:
Explain the impact of the Electoral College and defend why it should
be modified, but not kept as it is currently written or abolished. Be
sure to include both the pros and cons of modifying the Electoral
College.

Fully respond to all parts of the prompt and
write your response in your own words. Your initial must be at least
300 words. Support your position with at least two of the assigned
resources required for this discussion, and/or peer reviewed scholarly
sources obtained through the AU Library databases. Include APA in-text citations in the body of your post and full references on the references list
at the end. Please be sure that you demonstrate understanding of these
resources, integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.