ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Something to think about… What is the main purpose of the Electoral College?

When you vote for a presidential election, your vote is part of the POPULAR VOTE. Presidents are not elected by the POPULAR VOTE. Your vote is actually for people called electors.

Electors : One of the people chosen from each state and D.C. who formally select the President and Vice President. The Group of Electors is called the Electoral College.

Here’s the deal nTnTnTnThere are 538 electors in the electoral college. nEnEnEnEach state has a # of electors equal to the total number of Senators and Representatives it has in Congress. 23 amendment nHnHnHnHow is representation in Congress based again?

n The candidate who receives a majority (270 or more) of the electoral votes becomes the next president. n If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president from the 3 leading candidates.

The Two Elections n Primary Election- When people of the same political party are running for a nomination. Primary elections are used to see which candidate is going to represent a political party. n General Election- When candidates of different parties run against each other for election to political office n Note: Primary elections NOMINATE A CANDIDATE for political office; General elections PUT A CANDIDATE IN OFFICE. n Which election uses the Electoral College?

Nomination Process n Caucus n Method of selecting a candidate for presidential office where a closed number of party members vote instead of a direct primary where everyone can vote. n National Convention n Nominate a presidential and vice presidential ticket and platform for the election n Primary Election n Qualified voters choose a candidate to represent their party in the General Election.

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Something to Know Platform: statement of the party’s views and policies on important issues. Each part of the platform is a Plank.

n Many Americans regularly choose not to vote in elections. –Why do you think people choose not to vote?

n The main reason people choose not to vote is Apathy – lack of interest in politics.

Something to Think About n Is the purpose of a democracy to represent the people? –If you consider the basic principle of Popular Sovereignty, who actually has the power? –Does this Electoral College system represent the people? –Should each vote count? Are the people of this country smart enough to make the “right” decision? Are You?

What is the Alternative? n Winner Take All System (First past the Post) If you win the vote, you get all the votes n Proportional Representation If you win 30% of the vote, you are represented 30% in the government  Are these Better systems? Fairer systems?

National Bonus Plan n 538 electoral votes n 102 votes are awarded to the candidate that wins popular vote with over 40% n National popular Vote.com says that all electoral votes will be awarded to the candidate that that wins the popular vote in all 50 states and D.C.

n In the current system, is your vote meaningful? n Do you think that these alternatives make it more meaningful? Why? n Will you vote at 18 if the system stays the same? n What if it Changes?