Is the Electoral College Good for America?

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Join political science author Dr. George Edwards for an in-depth discussion of the Electoral College, its potential to elect non-popular vote winners, and its impact on democratic principles.

George C. Edwards III, Distinguished Fellow, University of Oxford, University Distinguished Professor and Jordan Chair Emeritus, Texas A&M University

The electoral college is the extraordinarily complex mechanism by which Americans choose their president. What is the explanation for such a system, which may elect the candidate who does not receive the most votes? Today, with two of the last five presidential elections having gone to the non-popular vote candidate, the Electoral College is an interesting topic of conversation. 

Join political science author and distinguished professor Dr. George Edwards as he discusses the debate on whether the Electoral College is indeed good for America. Through his rigorous analysis, Dr. Edwards will discuss how the Electoral College works, why the candidate receiving the most votes may not win the presidential election and does this raise questions on the democratic principle of one principle of one person one vote.

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About the speaker

image of George C. Edwards III

George C. Edwards III, Distinguished Fellow, University of Oxford, University Distinguished Professor and Jordan Chair Emeritus, Texas A&M University

George C. Edwards III is University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus at Texas A&M University. He is also Distinguished Fellow at the University of Oxford. When he determined that he was unlikely to become shortstop for the New York Yankees, he turned to political science. Today, he is one of the country's leading scholars of the presidency and has written or edited 26 books on American politics and edits Presidential Studies Quarterly.