The Electoral College

United States of America Presidential Election

Vocabulary

1. President2. Election3. Vote4. Candidate5. Ballot6. Popular Vote7. Electoral College8. Political Party9. Citizen 10. Representative

1. президент2. выборы3. голосовать4. кандидат5. голосование6. народное голосование7. коллегия выборщиков8. Политическая партия9. гражданин10. представительлитиче

ская партия

Presidential Election BasicsElections are held every 4 years. A President can hold office for 2 terms

No more than 8 yearsCandidates run as a member of a political

party The two main political parties:

Democratic PartyRepublican Party

Each party has a “Primary Election” to elect their Presidential Candidate

Presidential Candidate True or FalseParents must have

been born in the US

Candidate must have been born in the US

At least 40 years old

Must have lived in the US for at least 14 years

Chooses a “running mate” who will become the Vice President if elected

False!

True!

False! Must be at least 35 years old

True!

True!

The US Government

Who sits in Congress?House of

Representatives435 seats totalEvery State has a different

number depending on how many people live in the state

Ex. California has 53 while Alaska only has 1

Senate50 seats totalEvery State has 2 Senators

How is the President elected?System called The Electoral CollegeOn Election Day votes are counted and every

state has a winnerEvery state has different “Electoral Votes”

The number of votes is calculated by adding the state’s number of Senators (always 2) and the number of seats in the US House of Representatives.

The total number of electoral votes is fixed at 538,

+# # =

# Electoral Votes per State

• Total Electoral College Votes: 538

• The President must win 270 to win

266271

True or False!A candidate can win the

most popular votes but still lose the election

Every state has the same number of Electoral Votes

Every State has 2 seats within the Senate

A candidate may win only 11/50 states and still win the Presidency

True!

False!

True!

True! But it must be the 11 states with the most Electoral Votes

The Electoral College

Class Election!

Preparing for the electionSplit class into 3 groups

Red PartyBlue PartyUndecided Voters

Choose a Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidate together (Primary Election)

Choose a trustworthy person to count the ballots

Create a Campaign Poster with 1-3 words to describe your party and candidates

Information:•7 States•39 Electoral Votes Total•20 Votes Needed to Win

•2 Candidates:• Red Party• Blue Party

•Who will win?!

Country: United Colors of Volleyball

Let’s Vote!

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Election Directions

1. Each student will be given a color and that is the state in which you will be voting for.

2. Write down your vote on that paper and place into “ballot box”

3. The “official counters” will count every vote in each state and declare a winner for each state.

1. Who won the Popular Vote?2. Who won the Electoral Vote?

What do you think?Who won the election?Do you like the Electoral College System?What are the benefits?What are the negatives?

2012 November Presidential Election

Barack Obama Mitt Romney

2012 Election Results

Election is Complete!