1. Presidential Elections The Truth The Whole Truth And Nothing but the Truth

2. A few definitions: Election: when people make choices by voting. You voted in the Student Council election. Democracy: government by the people, and the people vote to elect their leaders. Republic: citizens are entitled to vote for people who represent them in government, such as President, Senators, and Representatives.

3. Elections You must register to vote in the town where you live, be a U.S. citizen, and 18 years old. Once you register, you can always vote. If you move to another town or state, you must register again. The primary election in each state narrows down the candidates. Voters elect one candidate for each party - Democrat & Republican. Each party then holds a nominating convention to nominate the candidate. By then, the candidate has chosen a running mate (potential VP).

4. Elections The general election happens on the 1st Tuesday after the first Monday in November in each state. Third party candidates can run in the general election. Each state’s votes are counted, and then the Electoral College process begins.

5. Electoral Votes & Electoral College Only the Presidential Election uses the Electoral College. The number of electors in each state is based on the number of people the state has in Congress. Each state has 2 senators and a number of representative based on the state’s population. Washington, D.C. has 3 electors. There are 538 electors in all. A candidate must win a majority of electoral votes - 270 to win.

6. More about Electoral Votes & Electoral College The Constitution says if no one wins the majority of electoral votes, then the House of Representatives chooses the president, and the Senate chooses the vice president. The Electoral College will meet to vote on December 15th.

7. Bibliography Goodman, Susan. See How They Run Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House. New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books, 2008. Sobel, Syl. Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Services, 2001. Brain Pop video on Presidential Elections: http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernment andlaw/presidentialelection/