Chapter 10 : Lesson 3 Electing the President Essential Question: How do Americans choose their president? True or False? The Presidential candidate who
wins the most popular votes is elected President. Answer: Not necessarily. Historical Background The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president. Congressional selection
direct popular election The Electoral College was a compromise. combining features of both approaches United States Constitution The United States Constitution outlines how
the President is to be elected. The two main sections that deal with electing the President are: a. Article I Section II: Census b. Article II Section I: Electoral College
The Electoral College and Federalism The electoral college also reflects the federal nature of the Constitution. ensures the states have a role in selecting the president
When you vote for the President you are actually voting for an ELECTOR to vote for you. Each state has a determined number of electors. A states number of electors is
the total number of that states Senators and Representatives in the House. North Carolina California 2 Senators + 13 Representatives
2 senators + 53 representatives Total Total 55 electors 15 Electors
There are a total of 538 electoral votes (the District of Columbia is not a state but is given 3 electoral votes). Who are the Electors?
Electors are individuals selected in each state to officially cast that states electoral votes. The Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would exercise good judgment. Today, party leaders select electors who are typically long-time party activists. Electors almost always vote for their partys candidates.
48 out of the 50 states have a winner takes all method. In order for a Presidential candidate to win all the electoral votes of a state, a candidate must win a majority of the popular vote! 2 states are different and
can divide up their votes based on congressional district - Nebraska and Maine. The Election Timeline In November of a Presidential election year, the general election is held
and the popular vote is determined. In December, electors gather in their respective state capitols to cast ballots for President and Vice President.
In January, Congress comes into session and they open the ballots received from each state. At this time, they announce the official outcome. Who Can Vote for President? To be qualified to vote one must be: 1. A United States citizen 2. 18 years of older 3. A resident of South Carolina
Registered to vote Who Can not Vote? You can not vote if you are: 1. In jail or on probation for committing a felony 2. A convicted felon 3. Legally insane
When do you Vote? On the first Tuesday of November, people all over the United States go to polling locations and vote their choice for President. How do you Vote? Some people vote by:
1. Punching a hole in a card 2. Touching a computer screen 3. Putting an X on a paper ballot next to the candidate name. Who is running for President in 2016? Democrats:
Hillary Clinton. Martin O'Malley. Bernie Sanders Republicans: Jeb Bush. Ben Carson. Chris Christie. Ted Cruz. Carly Fiorina. Jim Gilmore. Lindsey Graham. Mike Huckabee. John Kasich. George Pataki. Rand Paul. Marco Rubio. Rick Santorum. Donald Trump.
Independents: Jill Stein A candidate must have 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election. If no single candidate gets the required 270 electoral votes
then the U.S. House of Representatives votes to decide the President. What if no one receives a majority? To win, a candidate needs a majority 270 electoral votes If no candidate has a majority the House of Representatives selects the President from
among the three presidential candidates with the most electoral votes If this happens, each state has one vote. Happened only once! 1824: Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay The Senate selects the Vice President from the top two vicepresidential candidates. It is possible to get more votes overall in the
election from the entire country and NOT be elected President! Total Popular Vote in 2000 Election: Bush 50,461,092 total votes
(47.9%) 271 Electoral Votes Gore 50,994,086 total votes (48.4%) 266 Electoral Votes
Nader 2,882,728 total votes (2.7%) 0 Electoral College Votes Party trends in Presidential Elections Republican Trends (Red States): south eastern states and the mid west
Democratic Trends (Blue States): north eastern states, west coast Battle Ground or Swing States: states that have an equal number of Republican and Democratic voters and or a large number of independent voters (Ohio and Florida and the largest today) Obama (D): 62,611,250 (50.6%) 332 Romney (R): 59,134,475 (47.8%) 206
2012 Election Obama: 66,882,230 365 McCain: 58,343,671 173
2008 Election Bush: 62,040,610 286 Kerry: 59,028,444 251
2004 Election 286 251 Bush: 50,455,156 271
Gore: 50,992,335 266 Nader: 2,882,897 0
Clinton: 47,402,357 379 Dole: 39,198,755 159 Perot: 8,085,402
0 Clinton: 44,857,747 370 Bush: 39,798,913 168 Perot: 19,722,042 0 Bush: 48,882,828
426 Dukakis: 41,807,430 111 Bentsen: 901,228 1 Reagan: 54,455,075
525 Mondale: 37,577,185 13 Benefits of the Electoral College System the system requires a distribution of popular support (not
just sufficient support) and thus contributes to national unity enhancement/protection of minority interests encourages a two-party system and thus national stability within the government; maintains a federal system (gives the states a role) Thus, smaller/less populous states, the two major parties, and minorities should favor the Electoral College system.
Criticisms of the Electoral College The popular vote winner may lose the presidency. Electors may vote for persons other than their partys presidential and vice presidential candidates. If no candidate receives a majority,
Congress will pick the president and vice president. Review Question: Chapter 10 : Lesson 3 Read pages 302-308 and answer Review Questions on page 308. Hand in Google Class Room.
