The Electoral College: What It Is and Why We Have It

Which statement summarizes the selection?

• The purpose of the Electoral College is to allow small group of voters to have as much power as larger groups of voters. It does not seem fair for the large states to decide who will become president of the United States.

• The Electoral College electors do not always vote for the candidate who won the popular vote. When this happens, people question whether the public should change the voting system in the United States.

• In 1787, smaller states wanted an equal chance in the national elections. They agreed that each state's Electoral College electors should vote for the president. Today, some citizen's still believe that the popular vote is more fair.

• In 1787, the United States decided to form an Electoral College. Each state would be allowed to have electors. The number of electors depends on the number of representatives in the state.

What is the meaning of the word mimic as used in the selection below?

"In some states, laws require the electors to mimic their state's popular vote."

• understand

• undo

• copy

• challenge

Based on paragraph 4, what is the meaning of the word determined?

• argued

• decided

• questioneds

• vowed

What is the central idea of Step 6?

• The popular vote represents how each citizen voted.

• The popular vote is less important than the electoral vote.

• The government should listen carefully to hear what citizens want.

• The government recognizes that the goal is to accept the popular vote.

Who is the Electoral College supposed to protect?

• small states

• new voters

• young senators

• election laws

According to the selection, why do some people want to get rid of the Electoral College?

• to find out how this will affect elections

• to let the most popular candidates win

• to set up a safer form of democracy

• to allow new faces to run for president

How does the number of electors vary?

• states have more electors during an election year.

• states vote on how many electors they will choose.

• larger states have more electors

• smallar states have half as many electors.

What is the impact of the last paragraph?

• It allows the reader time to time imagine the year of 1787.

• It allows the reader to consider the idea of change.

• It informs the reader about the history of campaign.

• It informs the reader about why your vote matters.

Which explains the authors purpose in writing the selection?

• to inform the reader about the history of electing presidents

• to inform the reader about ideas that are important to voters

• to inform the reader about supporting a candidate for president

• to inform the reader about the idea behind the Electoral College