1. The Electoral College

2. How does it work? Each state is awarded a no. of EC votes.
The no. is equal to that states rep. in Congress e.g. California has 55 and Wyoming 3
There are 538 EC votes so to win the presidency you need 270
In all but 2 states after the popular vote is counted, which candidate wins the most popular votes receives all the EC votes for that state.
Exceptions are Maine and Nebraska
The EC never meets. The members of Electors meet in their respective state capitals and send their results to the VP in DC
The VP then formally counts the EC votes and announces the result to a joint session of Congress.
What happens if there is a tie??

3. How does EC affect presidential election campaigns?
There is a tendency to focus on swing states with lots of EC votes e.g. in 2008 Florida (27 EC votes Obama won by 3%), Ohio (20 EC votes, Obama won by 5% and N. Carolina (15EC votes, Obama won by 0.33%).

4. What are the main criticisms of the EC vote?
What does the 2000 election show?
(3 minutes in)
System is unfair to 3rd parties e.g Ross Perot won 19% of popular vote but no EC votes
Small states are over-represented e.g. California receives one EC vote for every 617k people. Wyoming receives one EC vote for every 165k people
Who are ‘Rogue’ Electors? (Table p. 94)

5. What do you think are the strengths of the system?
Make notes from p. 94-5
Read the article and note why it is difficult to reform the EC system
Note the possible reform plans

6. What is direct democracy?
Turn to page 108 Bennett:
2.What is a proposition?
3.How many states have a proposition process?
4.What is the difference between direct and indirect propositions?
5.How does a proposition get onto the ballot – how many votes are needed?
6. What are the advantages of this process?
7. Read the article ‘Tyranny of the majority’. What are the disadvantages of the process?

7. Referendums
1.What are referendums in a US context and how do they differ from referendums in the UK?
2.What is a popular referendum and how is it different from a normal referendum in the US?

8. Recall elections What is a recall election? Most famous example?
Disadvantages?

9. Why is EC so difficult to reform?

10. The Maine system
The way this works is….
Criticisms are:

11. Allocation of EC votes in each state in proportion to the popular vote
The way this works is…
Criticisms are:

12. The Automatic Plan
This plan is…
Criticisms are:

13. The Direct Election Plan
This plan is…
Criticisms are: