The Electoral College

The Electoral College

Chapter 10 Section 4 Notes

Open Ended

What all do you know about the Electoral College?

Type anything you already know about this group!

What is the Electoral College?

• Definition - The body of people with the responsibility of electing the President

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• In reality, when you cast a ballot, you are voting for an elector who has pledged to represent your vote in the Electoral College

Electoral College: The Basics

- The total # of electoral votes per state is equal to total # of Senators + the # of representatives that it receives in the House

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- Today, the total number of Senators is 100 and the total number of House Representatives is 435. There are 3 votes given to the District of Columbia too! This is due to the 23rd Amendment.

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100 Senators + 435 House + 3 DC = 538 Electoral Votes

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- To illustrate this, in the 2020 Election, Pennsylvania had 18 Congressional Districts - and - it has 2 Senators (just like every other state!), so...PA had 20 Electoral College Votes! (Remember, Pennsylvania will lose a seat in the House based off the last Census!) 

Winning Electoral College Votes

• 48 out of 50 states award their electoral total in a WINNER TAKE ALL format.

• That means, if you win the popular vote in a state (no matter by how much or how little), you'd get all of that states votes

• The only states that do not do this are Maine and Nebraska

• These two states award them by the popular vote each of their districts (and the remaining two off the statewide vote)

This is Nebraska. Looking at the map, how many Electoral College votes do you think Nebraska has?

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Lets use this map to explain how they (and Maine!) divide their electoral votes out differently!!!

Problems with the Electoral College

BIGGEST PROBLEM

1. You can win the popular vote, but not win the Electoral College vote​

***Has happened 5 times in US history. Most recently in 2016 with Clinton beating Trump by roughly 3 million votes

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2. The House of Representatives can decide the President if no candidate receives a majority (270 votes)

***Has only happened twice but both were a very long time ago! (1800 and 1828)

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3. Doesn't give "third parties" a chance

As we discussed on the chart yesterday, while 3rd party candidates have received popular votes in the US, they don't receive Electoral College votes. ​

Multiple Choice

How do they determine the amount of votes each state receives in the Electoral College?

• It is based on the amount of money raised for candidates in each state

• It is equal to the total number of House members and Senators for each state

• It is based on how many people voted from that state in the last election

• It is based on the land size of each state

Multiple Choice

How do most states in the US award their electoral college votes?

• By Congressional District

• Winner Take All

Multiple Select

What are the only TWO states in the US that do not award votes in a statewide Winner-Take-All method?

• Virginia

• Maine

• Nebraska

• Arizona

Open Ended

What is the biggest problem with the Electoral College?