1. Is your Vote worth Anything?
The Electoral College
Is your Vote worth Anything?

2. UEQ and LEQ UEQ: IS the United States a true democracy?
LEQ: Why was the Electoral College created and is it necessary in our country today?

3. Vocabulary
Winner-Take-All
Elector
Electoral College

4. Warm Up Electoral College Reading: Answer Questions
What are most Americans not aware of?
Who do voters actually vote for?
How are the number of electors in each state picked?
When does the new president actually get elected by the electors?
What happens if an election is close?
Based on what you read, does your vote count?

5. On Election Day
Election day for both general and primary elections is the first Tuesday, after the first Monday of November.
Usually around November 3
Popular Vote
The votes of citizens, go toward picking electoral college.
Electoral Vote
Votes of electors that vote for the candidate

6. The Electoral College Citizens do not vote for the President.
Citizens vote for electors- people who vote for the candidate citizens voted for.
Described by the Constitution, the electors’ votes in the end pick the President.
The Election Process: Explained through Paper

7. 4 Steps of the Electoral College Step 1: The States
The number of representatives and senators in each state determine elector numbers.
Total elector number = 538
Ex. Iowa has 5 representatives and 2 senators
Number of electors = 7
States with large populations have more electors.
So candidates only really need to win large states.

8. The States

9. Step 2: Elector Lists
Before each presidential election, both parties make a list of electors that will vote in each state.
Each election the list of electors is different.
Electors are higher members of society, doctors, lawyers, teachers, mayors, judges
Electors promise to vote for the parties candidate.
So on election day you vote for a candidate’s team of electors.

10. Step 3: Election Day
Election day citizens vote, election night everyone sees who won each state.
“Winning” a state means a candidates electors won.
The winning electors can then cast their votes.
270 to Win
When a candidate gets 270 electoral votes, he or she wins the election, even if it is not over.

11. Step 4: Weeks After Election
The candidate that wins is not President the day after the election.
Electoral College voting takes place weeks later.
By law an elector of a winning candidate can vote for the other candidate.
Congress counts elector votes, out of 538 votes, 270 electoral votes are needed to win the Presidency.

12. Major Problem Winner-Take-All
Citizens votes (popular votes) don’t count in an election.
A candidate that has more popular votes will not necessarily win the most electoral votes.
By winning big electoral vote states, a candidate can easily win.
Ex. George Bush had 500,000 less popular votes than Al Gore but had 271 electoral votes to Gore’s 267.

13. Review
In your own personal opinion, do you think that your vote counts at all today? Explain your answer.
Read over the 2 part electoral college reading, answer the questions below to help you review what you just learned.