The Electoral College
What is the Electoral College Simple way of thinking about it: The States Elect the President.. Check out this video on the electoral college National History Day Reminder – let me know if you are interested
Basics of the Electoral College Each State is given a certain number of electors based on its population Number of electors the same as the number of representatives in Congress (# of house representatives + # of senators) Bigger the State = More electors (Proportional Representation) Example – California electoral votes – 53 representatives + 2 sentators = 55 total Example – Alaska electoral votes – 1 representative = 2 senators = 3 total 23rd Amendment gave Washington DC 3 electors (same as smallest state) 538 possible electoral votes currently – 535 in House/Senate plus 3 for Washington DC = 538
Who are the Electors? The way electors are chosen can vary by state.. But the Constitution provides for the following rules Electors may not be current elected/appointed federal officials Usually are trustworthy people who will vote with the wishes of the state, however no requirement that they have to do so Electors are typically voted on during election day based on the presidential candidate being voted on (in most states) Usually electors are preselected from each political party in the summer by state officials, then the electors from the winning party in the state’s popular election will be invited to the capital to officially vote for the state as an elector in December.
Basics of Electoral College President needs to receive a majority of the electoral votes to win Currently 270 votes required to be elected President (538 possible electoral votes available) In most states the candidate that wins the popular vote receives ALL the electoral votes, only Maine and Nebraska split up electoral votes Electors do NOT have to vote based on state results, but in all but a few cases, have historically voted based on their state’s wishes
Step 1 – Popular Vote (Nov.)
Step 2 – (Dec.) Electors from each state vote (based off popular vote)
Step 3 – (Dec.) State officially sends its electoral results to Congress
Step 4 – (Jan) US Congress officially counts the electoral votes for President to determine winner of the election
Mock Election Candidate A. – Free Kit-Kats for Everyone! Candidate B. – Free Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for Everyone!
Mock Election Electoral Votes State/# of Electoral Votes Candidate Winning Election Popular Votes 20 16 12 9 5. 6 3 14 Total: Candidate: Popular Winner: