1. Who elects the president?
Electoral College
Who elects the president?

2. What is the Electoral College?
Definition: It is the system by which we elect the president.
The way we elect the president is unique!
How does the Electoral College work?

3. Road Map to the E.C.
Political Parties nominate “electors.” They are expected to vote for the candidate from the party that elected them.
These electors are then expected to vote for the candidate that wins the state’s popular vote.

4. What is a Popular Vote?
Definition: The number of individual votes that candidates get from people in the US.
MOST of the time, electors vote for the candidate that wins the popular vote.
However, sometimes they don’t...In 2000, Bush did not win the nation’s popular vote, but he won a majority of the elector’s votes, so he became president.

5. What is a Swing State? Definition: In these states,
neither party has a majority
of Republican or Democrat
supporters. (Bush got slim majority)
The popular vote could
go either way!
The outcome of the
Elector’s votes will
“swing” the election.

6. How do Electoral Votes work?
Winner-Takes-All-System: ALL of the electoral votes must go to the same candidate. (Except in Maine and Nebraska.)
How many electoral votes does a state get?
Combined number of members in Congress = Amount of Electoral Votes
How many electoral votes does Iowa have?

7. Are there any restrictions?
Electors are NOT required to vote for the candidate that won the popular election.
Normally they do, but there have been a few times in history when the president who was elected did not win the popular vote.

8. So why is this important?
You should know how the president is elected! He is the leader of our country.
Even though we don’t directly elect the president, our voice is heard when we go out to vote.

9. Extra: Videos on EC Schoolhouse Rock TED Ed
TED Ed