For the fall 2017 semester, USC students researched electoral college reforms. They analyzed how the electoral college works with an in-depth look into California’s system. They researched various methods of elector allocation including the proportional representation model, the Congressional districts model, and rank choice voting and provided insights into the benefits, drawbacks, and implementation challenges of each. Our students also remapped the electoral college outcomes for presidential elections from 1960-2016, using the proportional model and provided an overview of the benefits and drawbacks with respect to representation and civic participation.

Project: Electoral College Reform: Evaluation and Policy Recommendations

USC Students: Albert Qian, Alex Hider, Amanda Khan, Caroline Reisch, Madeline Goossen, and Araksya Nordikyan

Research Question: What are alternative ways to allocate votes in the Unites States, and which of these systems is best for California?

Policy Recommendations:

1. Restructure system of drawing district lines
2. Ranked Choice Voting should be used for local and state elections nationwide
3. Implement Proportional Representation in the General Election

Learn more about their research into alternative ways to allocate votes in the Unites States and what would work best for California’s system here.

Watch the full video of their presentation here.