Sept 13 – Gov – The Electoral CollegeAgenda:Making a ConnectionNotes: The Electoral CollegeHow super is it?

Homework:Page 224-234Begin Ch 7 SG

Take out:Pen/PencilNotebook

Goals:Understand the function of the electoral college

Campaign 2008 Timeline1. Declaration2. Nomination 3. National

Convention4. Fall Campaign

4. Election Day5. Meeting of

electors6. Formal Election7. Inauguration Day

Nomination Phase to win…delegates to

Fall Campaign

Link to video

Establishing a Connection: What is the relationship between the

electoral college and what is written on your PostIt note?

Going to College. . .

The Constitutional mechanism for indirectly electing the President of the United States of America

How it used to work… Electors vote for two people – President and VP POTUS = most votes VPOTUS = second most votes 12th Amendment changed the Electoral College to the way

it works today.

Winner take All* Whoever wins a plurality of the votes in

each state wins ALL of their electoral votes. *Exceptions…

Nebraska and Maine awarded by Congressional Districts

Sometimes there are ‘faithless electors’

Minnesota’s Electoral Shenanigans Minnesota had a ‘faithless

elector’ One elector cast his

Presidential elector vote for ‘John Edwards’

For President Kerry – 9 Edwards – 1

For Vice-President Edwards – 10

26 states have laws against, MN doesn’t

Other faithless electors

Who are the electors? # of electors = # of Representatives + # of

Senators (however the Reps and Senators are NOT the

actual electors) WA DC gets 3 by viture of Amendment 23

chosen by the party as a reward for long-time support & loyalty to their party

In some states the names of the electors appear on the ballot

January 6, 2005 EVs have to arrive in DC by the fourth

Wednesday in December Vice President of the US presides over the

counting of the Electoral Votes in a joint session of Congress

Then, and only then, has the United States officially elected the President of the US

EV Magnifying the Popular Vote

% of pop vote % of EV

2008 – Obama 53% 68%

2004 – Bush 51% 53%

2000 – Bush* 48% 50%

1996 – Clinton 49% 70%

1992 – Clinton 43% 69%

1988 – Bush 53% 79%

1984 – Reagan 58% 98%

Is the Electoral College Equitable? SizeRank

2010 Pop. Pop per Senator

Pop. per Elector

1 California 37,253,956 18,626,978 677,344

2 Texas 25,145,561 12,572,781 661,725

3 New York 19,378,102 9,689,051 668,210

4 Florida 18,801,310 9,400,655 648,321

20 Wisconsin 5,363,675 2,681,838 536,367

21 Minnesota 4,919,479 2,459,740 491,947

30 Iowa 2,926,324 1,463,162 487,720

46 S. Dakota 754,844 377,422 251,614

47 Alaska 626,932 313,466 208,977

48 N. Dakota 642,200 321,100 214,066

49 Vermont 608,827 304,414 202,942

50 D.C. 572,059 Taxation without Representation

190,686

51 Wyoming 493,782 246,891 164,594

Ok…now evaluate. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best,

how SUPER is our electoral process?

Explain your answer.

amount of attention the Bush and Kerry campaigns gave to each state during the final five weeks of the 2004 election.

•each waving hand = a visit from a presidential or vice-presidential candidate during the final five weeks of the election. •each dollar sign represents one million dollars spent on TV advertising by the campaigns during the same time period.

•Data from FairVote's report, "Who Picks the President?"

In Plain English