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The Electoral College

The Electoral College

Assessment

Presentation

Social Studies, History

6th - 12th Grade

Practice Problem

Medium

Created by

Ivy Boswell

Used 73+ times

FREE Resource

7 Slides • 6 Questions

1

The Electoral College

by Mr. Boswell and Ms. Parker-Scott

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2

Electing a President

  • What if I told you we don't directly elect the president?

  • We use something called the Electoral College.

  • Each state gets a certain number of electoral votes.

  • How many do they get? Great question!

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3

Multiple Choice

We vote for president using the ______________________

1

House of Representatives

2

Senate

3

Electoral College

4

Supreme Court

4

Electoral Votes

  • Each state gets the same number of electoral votes as they have representation in Congress.

  • So if Georgia has 14 representatives and 2 senators, they get 16 electoral votes.

  • California is the largest and gets 55 electoral votes!

  • DC is allowed to vote for president, even though they aren't a state.

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5

Multiple Choice

If a state gets electoral votes for the number of Representatives and Senators, what is the lowest number a state can have?

1

2

2

3

3

5

4

7

6

How does a person become president?

  • In the election every four years, people vote for president.

  • If a person wins the most votes in a state, they get ALL the electoral votes from that state.

  • Even if they win by one vote!


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7

Multiple Choice

How many electoral votes do you get if you win a state's popular vote?

1

All

2

Half

3

None

8

The Magic Number

  • To win the presidency, the magic number is 270!

  • That is a majority of the 538 electoral votes total.

  • It doesn't matter what combination of states you win, 270 is all you need.

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9

Fill in the Blank

Type answer...

10

What if no one gets 270 electoral votes?

  • There is a small (1%<) that you can get a 269-269 tie or a third party get a few electoral votes.

  • If that happens, the House of Representatives decides who the president is.

  • They pick from the top three candidates.

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11

Multiple Choice

Who decides who the winner is, if no one gets 270 electoral votes?

1

House of Representatives

2

Senate

3

Supreme Court

4

Last President

12

Popular Vote vs. Electoral College

  • A person can actually get less votes for president overall, but still win the electoral college.

  • This has happened FOUR times!

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13

Multiple Choice

In the last election, Donald Trump ______ the popular vote, but ________ in the Electoral College

1

Lost, Won

2

Won, Lost

3

Lost, Lost

4

Won, Won

The Electoral College

by Mr. Boswell and Ms. Parker-Scott

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