Final answer:
The U.S. Electoral College system is skewed with states getting varying numbers of electors based on their congressional representation. It is debated whether it is a good system, balancing interests of different states but occasionally conflicting with the popular vote.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Electoral College system in the United States assigns a specific number of delegates, or electors, to each state for the presidential election. Every state has several electors equal to its total congressional delegation, which includes both senators and representatives in the House. Since the House of Representatives has been permanently capped at 435 members, and there are 100 senators plus an additional 3 electors for Washington, D.C., this brings the total number of Electoral College votes to 538. To create a frequency table with eight classes that represent this distribution, each class would need to span a range of elector counts. However, the distribution of electors isn't uniform because states have varying populations and therefore a differing number of House representatives. Some states like California have significantly more electors due to their larger populations, whereas smaller states like Wyoming have a minimum of three electors.
When looking at the distribution of elector counts across the states, it's neither uniform nor bell-shaped. It's skewed, with a majority of states having a small number of electors, and a few states with large populations having many electors. The system reflects a compromise made by the framers of the Constitution, aiming to balance the influence of populous and less populous states.
Whether the Electoral College is a good system is a matter of debate. Proponents argue that it protects the interests of smaller states and requires presidential candidates to have nationwide support. Critics claim it can lead to situations where the candidate who wins the popular vote does not win the presidency, which has occurred in several elections, including 2000 and 2016. This debate centres around concepts like democratic representation, federalism, and the winner-take-all approach to allocating votes.