← Unit 5: Political Participation
Political Parties & the Electoral College
The winner-take-all Electoral College system shapes campaign strategy toward swing states, and America's two-party system is reinforced by structural features like single-member districts.
Overview
Because most states award all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that state (winner-take-all), presidential campaigns concentrate resources on competitive 'swing states' rather than campaigning equally everywhere. Duverger's Law explains how single-member-district, plurality-vote elections tend to produce two dominant parties.
Practice Quiz
Question 1 of 1Score so far: 0/0
Why do U.S. presidential campaigns concentrate resources on a small number of 'swing states' rather than campaigning equally in all 50 states?