1. How is the President elected?
The Electoral College
How is the President elected?

2. History of the Electoral College
The Electoral College was established in the Constitution, Article II, Section I.
The Electoral College was a compromise worked out during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that allowed small and large states, and Federalists and Anti-Federalists to feel that their interests were being met.

3. History of the Electoral College
The Electoral College placed power in the hands of the states by allowing state delegates to choose the president. The Electoral College shows the Founding Fathers' distrust of popular sovereignty.

4. Electoral college votes today:
Today there are 538 electoral votes:
House of Representatives = 435
US Senate = 100
District of Columbia = + 3
538

5. Electoral votes needed to become President:
A candidate must win 270 or more electoral votes out of 538 in a presidential election in order to win.
states/map.html
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6. What if no candidate receives 270 or more electoral votes?
If no candidate receives 270 or more votes (more than two candidates or a tie) the House of Representatives decides who will be the next President.
Each state would receive 1 vote decided upon by the state’s US House of Representatives.
The candidate who gets the most votes is then elected President and the Senate votes to choose the Vice President in the same way.

7. How are electoral votes distributed?
Each state has a certain number of electoral votes. If you add the number of Senators and Representatives of a state (congressional representation) you get the number of electoral votes that state is apportioned (given).

8. For example: State: Iowa
In the U.S. Congress, Iowa has 2 Senators and 4 Representatives (in the House of Reps)
2 Senators + 4 Representatives = 6 electors

9. Electoral Votes of Other States
# of Senators +
# of Reps =
Electoral Votes
California 2 53 55
Texas 36 38
Ohio 16 18
Wyoming 1 3

10. Alabama 9
Louisiana 8
Ohio 18
Alaska 3
Maine 4
Oklahoma 7
Arizona 11
Maryland 10
Oregon
Arkansas 6
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania 20
California 55
Michigan 16
Rhode Island
Colorado
Minnesota
South Carolina
Connecticut
Mississippi
South Dakota
Delaware
Missouri
Tennessee
Florida 29
Montana
Texas 38
Georgia
Nebraska 5
Utah
Hawaii
Nevada
Vermont
Idaho
New Hampshire
Virginia 13
Illinois
New Jersey 14
Washington 12
Indiana
New Mexico
West Virginia
Iowa
New York
Wisconsin
Kansas
North Carolina 15
Wyoming
Kentucky
North Dakota
District of Columbia
From 2012 Election

11. The US Census & Reapportionment
Every 10 years the US Census Bureau records the population of the US.
Congress uses this data to reapportion seats to the House of Reps.
Reapportionment is the process of Congress dividing the 435 seats in the House of Reps among the 50 states.

13. Redistricting
After the 435 House of Representative seats are divided among all 50 states, the state legislatures are responsible for redrawing (redistricting) the new House of Representative district boundaries.
Iowa was reapportioned (given) 4 members of the House of Representatives after the 2010 census (We had 5 before) and 2 US Senators.
Once we learned of the changed number, we had to redraw the districts to reflect one fewer one.

14. Redistricting in Iowa
Iowa’s redistricting system is nonpartisan, an arrangement that protects the minority party.
“This puts the voter as the primary consideration,”
– Ed Cook, Counsel for the Non-partisan Redistricting Committee.

15. Redistricting in Iowa
Once the non-partisan commission makes redistricting recommendations, the state legislature has to vote to approve them, and the Governor has to sign them.

16. Iowa Congressional Districts Before the 2010 Census

18. Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering describes how Congressional districts can drawn to favor one party over another, mostly in states without non-partisan commissions. Gerrymandering a district based on race is illegal, but all other forms of gerrymandering done during the redistricting process are legal.

19. V. Electors casting Votes
Who are the Electors?
They are people chosen by the campaigns/parties.
Typically VERY dedicated to the Party
Only the winning candidates electors will vote.
Electors meet on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their ballots. The meet at their state capitols.
On January 6th the President of the Senate counts the electoral votes before a joint session of Congress. *

20. II. Faithless Electors
Electors do not have to vote for the candidate favored in their state.
25 states bar this, Iowa is not one of them.
This has happened a bunch of times, but it has never swung an election.
In Minnesota (2004), an elector cast a vote for "John Ewards" for president (VP candidate for president and, by the way spelled "Edwards") *

21. Electing a President: Recap!

22. Answer the following questions
The Electoral College

23. Based on the following information who was elected President of the United States?
19. In 2000 George W. Bush and Richard Cheney received  271  Electoral Votes and 50,456,062 popular votes
Albert Gore, Jr. and Joseph Lieberman received  266  Electoral Votes and 50,996,582 popular votes
Who won the election? Why?
Election Results (271 Electoral College Votes Available)
John Quincy Adams- 30.9% of the vote and 99 electoral votes
Andrew Jackson-41% and 84
William Crawford- 15% and 41
Henry Clay-12.9% and 37
Who decided who won? Who won?

24. More Electoral College Questions
21. In 1876 Rutherford B. Hayes received 4,036,572 and won 185 votes
Samuel Tilden received 4,284,020 votes and won votes
Who won? Why?
22. In 2008 if Hillary Clinton receives 200 electoral votes and Rudy Guiliani receives 220 and the third candidate receives 18 electoral votes? Who will decide who is the next president?

25. 23. For more information about the Electoral College Check out the following sites
Arguments For and Against the Electoral College
Past Electoral College Results