Electoral institutions

A core democratic principle is that the people choose their leaders and the majority's choice wins. The Electoral College can break that link. Because most states give all their electors to the statewide winner, a candidate can win the most votes nationwide and still lose in the Electoral College, as happened in 2000 and 2016.

Choice C is the only argument whose facts are true and whose conclusion actually follows: it points to a result that runs against the popular vote.

Each choice

• A. Winner-take-all leads candidates to focus on a few competitive states, not to campaign everywhere. The choice gets the effect wrong, and its conclusion does not follow from its own premise.
• B. Voters choosing electors is a democratic feature, and nothing about it gives parties undue control. The claim does not support the argument it is meant to make.
• C (correct). When the popular vote winner can lose the presidency, the result does not follow the majority, which is the democratic principle at stake.
• D. Electors cast their votes in their own states weeks after the general election, not at a national party convention, and switched votes are rare.