1. BE PREPARED…  Grab sheet from the table HOMEWORK:  Test (Friday)  Study Guide (Friday)

2. The Electoral College The election for President and Vice President is not a direct election by United States citizens…it is an indirect election electors Citizens vote for electors, representing a state, who are the authorized constitutional participants in a presidential election

3. How are Electors Chosen? In modern practice, each state chooses its electors in popular elections Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in EACH Presidential election Once chosen, the electors meet in their respective states to cast ballots for the President and Vice President Twelfth Amendment The Twelfth Amendment provides for each elector to cast one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. It also specifies how a President and Vice President are elected

4. How Many Electors Does a State Get? Every 10 years, the Census Bureau determines state population, which affects the number of Representatives each state sends to the House Each state’s number of electors Each state’s number of electors = # of representatives in the House + # of senators

5. How Many to Win? absolute majority A candidate must receive an absolute majority of electoral votes (currently 270) to win the Presidency Twelfth Amendment If no candidate receives a majority in the election for President, or Vice President, that election is determined via a contingency procedure in the Twelfth Amendment

6. Has Someone Become President Without Receiving the Most Votes? Yes…it has happened a few times where the winner did not receive the most popular votes  Most recently – 2000 Bush over Gore

7. Which States Hold Power? The six states with the most electors are California (55), Texas (38), New York (29), Florida (29), Illinois (20) and Pennsylvania (20) The seven smallest states by population — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming — have 3 electors each (DC also has 3) 270towin.com

8. Party’s Platforms (Beliefs) REPUBLICAN (A. Lincoln) – opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories REPUBLICAN (A. Lincoln) – opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories NORTHERN DEMOCRATS (S. Douglas) – allow the voters of the territories to decide on the slavery issue (popular sovereignty) NORTHERN DEMOCRATS (S. Douglas) – allow the voters of the territories to decide on the slavery issue (popular sovereignty) SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS (J. Breckinridge) – opposed the limits on slavery SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS (J. Breckinridge) – opposed the limits on slavery CONSTITUTIONAL UNION (J. Bell) – preserve the Union! CONSTITUTIONAL UNION (J. Bell) – preserve the Union!

9. ELECTION OF 1860 RESULTS Lincoln = 180 Douglas = 12 Breckinridge = 72 Bell = 39 Lincoln = 1,865,593 Douglas = 1,382,713 Breckinridge = 848,356 Bell = 592,906 Lincoln (Republican) Douglas (N. Democrat) Breckinridge (S. Democrat) Bell (Constitutional Union) Who won the election? How could Stephen Douglas get the second highest number of votes, but only win a couple states?