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Article: The electoral college: a misunderstood institution. (textbook errors on electoral college mechanisms)
- Article from:
- PS: Political Science & Politics
- Article date:
- March 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Cambridge University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"It was of great importance not to make the government too complex." Thus did Caleb Strong, a Massachusetts delegate at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, argue against the use of the electoral college to select the president and vice president. Most college textbooks for the introductory American government course discuss the mechanics of the electoral college, so we decided to examine eighteen textbooks and their treatment of the electoral college.(1) Written by prominent political scientists, these texts contain many errors on the workings of the electoral college. It would appear Strong's concern was a valid one.
Some might object to an examination of the ...