1. Election Research

2. Warm-Up  Update your Table of Contents – New Section called Election Mini-Unit  Write your homework!  Answer the following on Page 38: Which political party do you think you are a part of and why? DateSession # ActivityPage # 10/24 19 Candidate Research Guide 38

3. Warm-Up  Update your Table of Contents  Write your homework…it is only homework if you don’t use your time wisely today!  Please put the flyer for you candidate in the basket…make sure your name is on it! DateSession # ActivityPage # 10/26 20 What is a Platform? - Research Guide 39

4. Media Center Tasks:  Finish up your “Candidate Research” sheet on Obama & Romney from last class  Complete the “What is a Political Platform?” sheet  Complete your Platform Map for one of the minority parties from the list!

5. Electoral College

6. Warm-Up  Update your Table of Contents (2 nd Quarter)  Put your Platform Map in the basket  Take a ballot off the front table and cast your vote in the orange bucket DateSession # ActivityPage # 10/31 21 The Electoral College 40

7. Group Vote  Choose a representative at your table  Discuss with your representative your individual votes  Have your representative cast the group ballot that represents the most popular vote of the group and put that vote in the green bucket

8. How Does the Voting System in the U.S. Really Work?  When voters go to the polls on election day people think they are voting for a presidential candidate. They are not. In reality each person voted in his or her state for a slate of electors who were pledged to vote for one of the candidates…this is called The Electoral College.

9. Why does the U.S. have the Electoral College system?  The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president-Congressional selection or direct popular vote election?  So, the electoral college was a compromise.  Framers believed the “every” man was not knowledgeable enough to select a President (poor communications at that time also)  This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President while maintaining a regional balance

10. How are electors selected?  The process varies throughout the United States.  Generally, the political parties nominate Electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each State. Each candidate will have their own unique slate of potential Electors as a result of this part of the selection process.  Electors are often chosen to recognize service and dedication to their political party. They may be State-elected officials, party leaders, or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate.

11. Can they vote any way they wish?  There is no Constitutional or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States.  Some States, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote.  These pledges fall into two categories— Electors bound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties.  All states but Maine and Nebraska use a winner takes all approach.

12. How many electoral votes does each state receive?  Number of Electors per state = number of Representatives in the House + 2 Senators  Total: 435 House members + 100 Senators + 3 electors for the District of Columbia = 538

13. How does it work?  General election: 1 st Tuesday after the 1 st Monday in November.  On Monday following the 2 nd Wednesday of December, each State’s Electors meet to cast their votes, one for president and one for vice president, in their state capitals.  On January 6 th, President of the Senate (the Vice President) opens and reads the votes before Congress.  Winner needs 270 Electoral votes to win.  Noon, January 20 th, newly elected President and Vice President are sworn into office.

14. Watch & Learn  http://www.archives.gov/federal- register/electoral-college/about.html http://www.archives.gov/federal- register/electoral-college/about.html

15. What if no candidate receives a majority?  No majority? The U.S. House of Representatives selects the President from the top 3 candidates.  The Senate chooses the Vice President.  Each state casts one vote. A majority of the states is needed to win.  Occurred in 1824 when Congress chose John Quincy Adams (lost popular vote) over Andrew Jackson and William Crawford.

16. Can a candidate win the popular vote and lose the election?  Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden- 1876  Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland- 1888  George W. Bush over Al Gore-2000

17. What are the Pros to this system?  Ensures the states play a role in the election of a president.  Makes candidates spend time campaigning in both big and smaller cities within a key state.  Very close elections, recounts will be confined to a state, rather than across the country

18. What are the Cons of this system?  Winner of Electoral College might not be the candidate who received the most popular vote (technically only need 11 states to win).  Direct elections are seen as more consistent with the principles of our government.  Candidates would have to campaign across the country vs. within key states.

19. Electoral College Research  http://www.270towin.com/  Chose 4 previous elections (#1 is chosen for you) and fill in the chart that includes the following for each election you choose:  Election year  All of the candidates names and party affiliations  Popular & Electoral votes for each candidate  Winner of the election  Facts about that election that may have influenced the outcome

20. Homework  Find out which states are considered the “swing states” for the 2012 election

21. Warm-Up  Update your Table of Contents  Get your list of “swing” states out to be checked  Get your folder off the front table so we can file some things DateSession # ActivityPage # 11/2 22 The Swing States (hand written notes) 41

22. Swing States  “Swing” States – A state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state’s electoral college votes.  They become campaign targets  States that do have strong support towards either candidate are sometimes called “safe” states  So which states are they for the 2012 election?

23. Swing States  http://www.politico.com/2012-election/swing-state/  Colorado  Florida  Iowa  Nevada  New Hampshire  North Carolina  Ohio  Virginia  Wisconsin

24. “3 States That May Decide the Election”  Read the article  Write the questions on page 41 of your notebook and then answer them!

25. Speed Round Election Review  You will each have a bag of “ballots,” (review questions) each ballot is a chance to cast a vote for your candidate  The candidate you wish to vote for will review your response and cast your vote if the answer is correct, if it is not correct it will be cast in the for the 3 rd party candidate – the Independent party  You must cast your ballots one at a time, and cast as many as you can in 9 minutes, after which time the poll will close and ballots will be counted!

26. Electoral Map  The Electoral Map will start as class work and be completed for homework by watching the election results.  Today: Color the swing states yellow, (and as they are taken on election night label them D or R)  Election Night: Label each of the states with an “R” for Republican or an “D” for Democrat OR you can color them red for Republican or blue for Democrat  This will be due NEXT FRIDAY because no I don’t expect you to stay up and watch the entire election…so that will give you 3 days after the election to turn it in!!!!!

27. Voting Results: The Popular Vote Skittles  1 st Block = 15  2 nd Block = 20  4 th Block = 9 M & M’s  1 st Block = 12  2 nd Block = 14  4 th Block =19

28. Voting Results: The Electoral Vote  Group 1 = California = 55  Group 2 = Maine = 4  Group 3 = Hawaii = 4  Group 4 = Colorado = 9  Group 5 = North Carolina = 15  Group 6 = Wisconsin = 10  Group 7 = Louisiana = 8  Group 8 = Washington DC = 3