Executive Branch Electoral College & Inauguration day

Goals  Identify what the Electoral College is  Identify the purpose of the Electoral College.

Electoral College  VI. Electoral College- a group of men and women who officially elect the President and Vice President

A. When and Where Electors meet in- 1. Early December 2. The Electors meet in the capital of the state in which they live in.

B. How it works  Each state is given a certain number of electors

Electoral College  a. The number is equal to the number of Representatives plus the number of Senators each state has.

Electoral College  b. Washington, D.C. gets 3 Electors

Electoral College  c. Total number is 538 electors. 435-House 100-Senate 3-Washington DC 538 Total Electors

Electoral College  “Winner-take-all” a. If a candidate gets the most popular votes from a state, that candidate gets all the Electors from that state.

Electoral College  Need a majority of vote to win the presidency  a. 270 is the majority 538/2=269+1=270 Majority Vote  b. If no one wins the majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President. And the Senate chooses the Vice President  4. This Vote is called the Electoral Vote

Electoral College  C. Creation 1. The Founders of the Constitution were not sure if the population had enough information about candidates to pick the President.

Electoral College  a. popular vote-votes cast directly by the people

Electoral College  2. Created the Electoral College as a way of checking the popular vote a. Electoral Vote- votes cast by members of the Electoral College. Video

Electoral College  D. Problems 1. Larger populated states get too much of a say in the election outcome

Electoral College  2. A person that wins the popular vote does not always win the electoral vote.

Electoral College  3. The electoral vote is not “Locked in”

Electoral College  E. History 1. there have been many cases in history where the Electoral College vote has caused major problems. Example: Election of 2000.

Electoral College  F. Solving the Problem  1. Make the electoral votes be percentage vote  2. Get rid of the Electoral College altogether  3. Any change would take a long time because it would require a Constitutional Amendment. Video

Inauguration Day!

Goals  Identify when an inauguration takes place.  Identify the events surrounding the inauguration  Identify the process of inauguration.

Inauguration Day!  A. The constitution sets the date of the inauguration.

Inauguration Day!  “Lame duck” Amendment

Inauguration Day!  a. “Lame Duck” refers to the President who is about to leave office.  2000 & 2008

Inauguration day!  b. the departing President leaves the Capital after the ceremony.

Inauguration day!  B. January 20 th is Inauguration Day.

Inauguration Day!  1. The President is sworn into office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol

Inauguration day!  Says the “oath of office”  “I, (________________) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”