Source: Bradford Plumer, "The Indefensible Electoral College," Mother Jones, October 8, 2004.
Perhaps most worrying is the prospect of a tie in the electoral vote.
In that case, the election would be thrown to the House of
Representatives, where state delegations vote on the president.
(The Senate would choose the vice-president.) Because each state
casts only one vote, the single representative from Wyoming,
representing 500,000 voters, would have as much say as the 55
representatives from California, who represent 35 million voters.
Document Analysis
1. What is Plumer's concern about a tie in the Electoral College? Why does he think this would be a
bad outcome?
2. Plumer provides numbers to support his argument. How do these numbers show inequality?
3. How do you think voters would respond if the House of Representatives were to decide the outcome
of a presidential election?
4. How could this document help you argue for abolishing the Electoral College?