1. Objective: To examine how the President is elected through the use of the Electoral College.
2008 Electoral College Map

2. The Electoral College
- The number of electoral votes per state is determined according to the results of the most recent census.

5. = half of the electoral votes
The Electoral College
- The Presidential candidate that receives more than half of the electoral votes wins the election.
- There are a total of 538 electoral votes. Therefore, a Presidential candidate must receive at least ________ electoral votes to win the presidency.
270
Fill in the blank! How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?
If 269 is exactly half, how many electoral votes are needed to win? 2 6 9
= half of the electoral votes 2
538 electoral votes
270

6. 2 (2) The Electoral College
How are the number of electoral votes per state determined? Here’s the formula:
(2)
# Senators
+ # Representatives in the House
= # electoral votes per state
Remember, how many Senators does every state have? 2

7. (2) 3 The Electoral College
O.K., let’s practice using the state of Wyoming.
# Senators
+ # Representatives in the House
= # electoral votes per state
(2)
If Wyoming has 1 Representative in the House, how many electoral votes does Wyoming have? 3

8. 2008 Electoral College Map
How many members of the House of Representatives do the following states have?
1) Washington 2) Kansas 3) New York 4) California 9 4 29 53

9. The Electoral College
- The electors from every state make up the Electoral College.
- The electors vote for the President and Vice-President after the citizens vote.

10. - If no candidate receives at least 270 electoral votes, the House of Represent-atives chooses the President.