Electoral College 2024

The Electoral College

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, where do you see the electoral college vote separation?

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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. ​

• ​Republican nominee: Donald Trump and his VP selection JD Vance.

• Donald Trump is running again after winning in 2016 and then losing re-election in 2020 to Joe Biden.

• JD Vance is the current senator from Ohio and was selected to be Trump's running mate in August 2020.

• Due to the 22nd amendment (1951) if Trump wins, he can only serve four years. (one term)

​2024 Election

​2024 Election

• ​Democratic nominee: Kamala Harris and her VP selection Tim Walz.

• Kamala Harris is running for President after running in 2020 against Joe Biden. She eventually dropped out of the Democratic primaries and was selected as President Biden VP.

• President Biden announced in July 2024 he was not seeking re-election and therefore his VP took over running for President.

• Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP selection.

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H3gvnN468
(electoral college)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSRk4U214l0
(2020 election map on news)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_gA766lT3c

(caucus v primary)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDmTDCKhVE

(electoral college real video)

Multiple Choice

What political official is elected through the Electoral College?

• Senators

• Secretary of State

• President

• Speaker of the House

• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

Multiple Choice

Who places the actual vote for president?

• Members of Congress

• The general population

• The governor of each state

• Electors

• Judges

Multiple Choice

Which two states split up the electors between candidates?

• Georgia and Alabama

• New York and Vermont

• Washington and California

• Texas and New Mexico

• Maine and Nebraska

Multiple Choice

How many electoral votes are there?

• 50

• 100

• 538

• 1045

• 5000

Multiple Choice

How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidential election?

• 26

• 51

• 112

• 270

• 800