The U.S. Electoral College

By Tim Coudret

ED 639

Unit: The U.S. Constitution

11th grade Government

Lesson: The Electoral College

Rationale

It is important for students to be aware of the importance of the Electoral College and its function. They must also understand why it was created and how the Electoral College affects Presidential Campaigns.

Objectives

The 11th grade Government class will:

1) list the primary reasons that the Electoral College was created

2) list the drawbacks of the Electoral College

3) Discuss, in a knowledgeable manner, whether the Electoral College is

still needed to elect the President

Materials

A transparency with an Electoral map

A calculator

Dry erase markers

An overhead projector

Power point presentation

Activity worksheets

What do the following four men all have in common?

A. Andrew Jackson

B. Samuel Tilden

C. Grover Cleveland

D. Al Gore

The Answer

They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not become President.

1824Popular Vote

Andrew Jackson 43%John Q. Adams 30.5%

Electoral VoteJackson 99 votes

Adams 84* Adams elected by House of

Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

1876

Popular Vote

Samuel Tilden 51%

R. B. Hayes 48%

Electoral College

Tilden 184

Hayes 185

Winner: Hayes

1888

Popular Vote

Grover Cleveland 48.5 %

Benjamin Harrison 47.8 %

Electoral College

Cleveland 168

Harrison 233

Winner: Harrison

2000

Popular Vote

Albert Gore 48.7%

George W. Bush 48.5%

Electoral College

Gore 266

Bush 271

Winner: Bush

Why?Because we do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only select electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President.

Why was it Created?

People (then) were not knowledgeable enough to select a President.(poor communications)This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the PresidentTo maintain regional balance

What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College?

Encourages low voter turnout

Diminishes third party influence

Person with most popular votes may not win

Leads to tactical, insincere voting

If there is no majority winner in the Electoral College, the election goes to the H.o. R and there is a loss of separation of powers

Why low voter turnout?

The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50.1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he get 100% of the electoral votes. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote.

Third Parties

The Electoral College discourages 3rd parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3rd parties financially and politically able to do this.

Tactical Voting

Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win the all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader.

Activities

In-Class Activity

Given the electoral map on the previous slide, students will be asked the following hypothetical question; If you were running for President with limited money and could only focus on a few states, where would you focus your campaign?(I would then have students list the states, in order, that they would need to win the necessary 270 E.C. votes. They would find that only 11 states are needed to become President.)