Electoral College

The Electoral College

by Mr. Bridwell

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!

Multiple Choice

We vote for president using the ______________________

• House of Representatives

• Senate

• Electoral College

• Supreme Court

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 54 electoral votes!

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

Multiple Choice

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

• 2

• 3

• 5

• 7

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!

• Except for Maine & Nebraska
  

Multiple Choice

in 48 states how many electoral votes do you get if you win a state's popular vote?

• All

• Half

• None

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.

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.

Multiple Choice

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

• House of Representatives

• Senate

• Supreme Court

• Last President

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!

Multiple Choice

In 2016, Donald Trump ______ the popular vote, but ________ in the Electoral College

• Lost, Won

• Won, Lost

• Lost, Lost

• Won, Won