The Electoral College Map Activity
1. (The electoral college is technically responsible for electing the president.) Explain that each state
has a particular number of electors, their numbers determined by how many senators and
representatives a state has. On election day, as presidential candidates "win" a particular state by
accumulating the most votes, they are awarded the number of delegates from that state. The
candidate with the highest number of electoral votes wins the election. In December, the electors
hold their own election to vote formally for President. The winning candidate will have at least
half the electoral votes – or 270 delegates. (For a more thorough explanation of the electoral
college, see http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html.)
2. Have pairs of students look at the List of States and Votes on the National Archives and Records
Administration site on the electoral college's website: http://www.archives.gov/federal-
register/electoral-college/2008/. Ask a student to name a state that is physically large, then note
the number of electoral votes. Try another state. By looking at California and Montana, for
example, students will see that the physical size of a state does not correlate with its number of
electoral votes. Why do they think this is? (Answer: Votes correspond to population, not size.)
3. Distribute a U.S. map to each pair and have students use the numbers from the National Archives
website to fill in the number of delegates in each state on their map, using pencil or black ink.
4. Assign recent election years, starting with 2008 and moving back in time, to the pairs and direct
them to the Electoral Votes by State section of the site (http://www.archives.gov/federal-
register/electoral-college/historical.html). As a class, choose colors to represent republicans,
democrats, and third-party candidates. Then have the students color in the states in pencil or
crayon to show whether the electoral votes went republican or democrat for their year.