1. Electoral College Check For Understanding 2-3 4-5
Name ___________________________________ Date __________ Period
Electoral College Check For Understanding
Shade in the 12 most populated states…the minimum # Electoral Votes needed to win a Presidential Election
California, Texas, New York, Florida, etc… in

2. Historical Context: Controversial Elections have created doubt about the Electoral
College system’s legitimacy for promoting national unity.
Presidential Election Presidential Election
Outside Knowledge = Irony
Florida was the deciding state in both elections.
Democrats won the popular vote in the USA in both elections.
Republican Presidents were chosen by the Electoral College in both elections.

3. House of Representatives + 2 US Senators
New York State has 27 Representatives in the
House of Representatives + 2 US Senators
Based on this information…New York has
this many Electoral College votes ? _______
HR S = __?__ NY votes _______
Vermont has 1 member the House of Representatives
+ 2 US Senators = __?__ EC votes
HR S = _______ Vermont EC votes
538/2 = 269 …therefore 270 Votes are needed to
Win

4. Electoral College Map 2004 + 2008 2012 + 2016 + 2020
Based on the US Census count of the USA population …changes in State populations
required reapportionment in the House of Representatives … some increased more than others
…therefore the Electoral College representation for States was impacted accordingly…
Texas increased 34 to 38…Florida increased 27 to 29 …
but New York decreased from 31 to ________ due to the Census and reapportionment

5. _____________________ ______________________ ______________________
The Electoral College 1940
Examining The Electoral College from 1940 – shows state population gains
in the South and West have most greatly benefited these States (identify 3)
_____________________ ______________________ ______________________
While other states in the Northeast and Midwest have lost political power (identify 3)
Choose from these states: California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas

6. Make your educated guess for the 2020 changes
due to the Census + reapportionment in the House
Impacting the next Electoral College map of the
21st century.
Apply these
numbers to
the map for
these 6 states
based on your
knowledge of
demographic
trends… 56 40 31 28 19 NY Pa
Ill
California
Texas
Florida

7. These states are often referred to as
“swing states” because they are very
evenly divided when voting for US
Presidents in recent years.
Therefore the major parties and
candidates put more of their
campaign resources into winning
the popular vote in these states.
Because Democrat candidates
usually win NY State… both major
parties generally ignore New York to concentrate on the “swing states”.
Source: John Sharp | Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Geographyfaculty.newpaltz.edu
Rank the top 3 most populated “swing states” according your 2012 electoral map found back on page #1
#1 ________________________ #2 __________________________ #3 ___________________________

8. What is an accurate point of view expressed in both of these political cartoons
regarding the influence of the Electoral College system on Presidential elections?
____________________________________________________________________

9. The Electoral College encourages more person-to-person campaigning by candidates, as they spend time in both the big cities and smaller cities in battleground states ( aka “swing states” ).  
In close, contested elections, recounts will usually be confined to a state or two, rather than an across-the-country recount that might be required if we had direct election of the president.  
The Electoral College, with its typical winner-take-all allocation of votes, often turns a small percentage margin of victory into one that appears much larger, thus making the victory seem more conclusive and adding to the winner’s perceived legitimacy.
source: “The Electoral College”
____1. Based on these statements… why do many citizens and political scientists desire to keep
the current Electoral College system?
A) It promotes more intense personal campaigning by the candidates
B) It can make a close popular vote in the election “appear” to produce a
more legitimate margin of victory in the Electoral College count
C) It promotes national unity…a major goal of the US Constitution
____2. Identify the 2 political parties most in favor of keeping the current Electoral College
system from the following choices
a) Conservative b) Democrat c) Libertarian d) Republican e) Working Family

10. What is cartoonist Dave Granlund’s point of view regarding the Electoral College system?
_______________________________________________________________________

11. Electoral College Bias Favoring “small states”
The smaller states are over-represented in the Electoral College. The 22 smallest states have a total of 100 Electoral votes, though their combined population was roughly equal to that of California which had only 55 Electoral votes.
____1. Based on this statement … why do small population states desire to keep the
current Electoral College system?
A) Major political party candidates will need the votes from the small states
in a close Presidential election.
B) If the popular vote or a more proportional electoral college system were
used, small states would possibly lose the attention of the major parties.
___2. Rank in order the best reasons not to change the current Electoral College system
(winner take all … state by state) for choosing a US President.
Best #1 ______________ 2nd Best ________________ 3rd Best _______________
It keeps the 2 party system strong c) It keeps the small states satisfied
It makes the “swing states” important d) It limits the power of larger states

12. 1912 Presidential Campaign 2012 Presidential Campaign
What is an accurate point of view expressed in both of these political cartoons
regarding the influence of the Electoral College system on Presidential elections?
____________________________________________________________________

13. Write a paragraph supporting or opposing a Constitutional Amendment (#28)
to abolish the US Electoral College system and replace it with a nationwide
popular vote for the US President (3-5 sentences minimum…refer to at least 2 documents)
TS: _______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
SS: _______________________________________________________________