Electoral College Misrepresentation: A Geometric Analysis

A bit too late (due to Polity scheduling rather than any fault of the author) to affect the result of the 1980 election, this article explores the interaction of voter coalitions and rules for electing the president in order to elucidate normative and empirical issues in the proposal to substitute d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polity 1981-04, Vol.13 (3), p.425-449
Main Author: Sterling, Carleton W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electoral college
Electoral systems
Electorate
Misrepresentation
Plurality voting
Political parties
Presidential elections
Runoff elections
State elections
Voting
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Summary:A bit too late (due to Polity scheduling rather than any fault of the author) to affect the result of the 1980 election, this article explores the interaction of voter coalitions and rules for electing the president in order to elucidate normative and empirical issues in the proposal to substitute direct election for the electoral college system. Using an innovative geometric scheme, the author analyzes the biases in the present system, challenges the claims put forward by it, and dramatically illustrates his argument with a dissection of the critical 1860 election. Professor Sterling illuminates both the pragmatic and the normative case for direct popular election.
ISSN:0032-3497
1744-1684
DOI:10.2307/3234619