The Electoral College Quiz

What is the purpose of the electoral college in the U.S?

• To form political parties

• To select the state legislatures

• To balance the powers of the government

• To directly elect the president

How were the electors originally supposed to make their decisions?

• By exercising independent political judgment

• By flipping a coin

• By letting the state legislatures decide

• By following the popular vote

Why did the founders of the electoral college decide to use a winner take all system?

• To maximize the state's influence

• To encourage political parties

• To minimize the state's influence

• To create chaos in the elections

What was James Wilson's opinion about the electoral college system?

• He believed it was perfect and needed no changes

• He wanted to abolish the electoral college

• He wanted to let the state legislatures pick the president

• He thought it needed a system of direct popular election

What was the main difficulty in the election of the president during the creation of the electoral college?

• Deciding the number of electors in each state

• Deciding the method of choosing the president

• Deciding the role of the congress

• Deciding the role of the state legislatures

What was the main reason for the chaos in some of the early elections under the electoral college system?

• The lack of independent political judgment by the electors

• The lack of a popular vote

• The lack of a winner take all system

• The lack of political parties

What was the main issue with the original electoral college system according to the private correspondence of figures like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton?

• It was a compromise that no one liked

• It was not representative of the people's will

• It was too complicated for the citizens to understand

• It was not functioning particularly well

What was the main reason for the creation of the electoral college in the U.S?

• To encourage political parties

• To minimize the state's influence

• To protect the rights of the people

• To balance the powers of the government