The Electoral College Ken Heim, Natalie Michael, and Danielle Kelton – Monroe Township Grade Level: Elementary/Middle School New Jersey Social Studies Content Standards: 6.2, 6.4. 6.5 Lesson Summary: This lesson will have students work cooperatively to comprehend the inter-workings of the Electoral College. Suggested Time Frame: Two 40-minute class periods Objectives: Students will be able to: Explain the origin of the Electoral College. Understand and explain the different options originally presented for election of the president. Describe the workings of the Electoral College. Strategize which states should command greater attention during a presidential campaign. America’s Emergence from Revolution, 1776-1790 Historical Contrasts Colonies Pre-Revolution Essential Historical Questions British Monarchy – 1. What is the structure of Colonists have Virtual the government? Representation in Parliament White, Male, landowners 2. Who, or what, group/s are the major players?
United States of America Constitutional-Republic
Colonial charters
3. What documents, values, attitudes or beliefs define these major players?
White, Male, landowners Continental Congress Declaration of Independence U.S. Constitution
Historical Background: In 1787, the founders of the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to decide on what kind of leader they wanted. After a summer-long debate of election by either Congress, popular vote, or an intermediate group of electors (an invention of the convention), the founders compromised on the Electoral College. It is a college in the sense of a group of people gathered together for a single purpose.
The Electoral College votes in mid-December. Each state gets as many electors in the Electoral College as they have senators and representatives in Congress. The District of Columbia gets three. Each state legislature decides exactly how electors from that state are chosen. There are a total of 538 electors in all. The electors meet at their state capitals. They each write their choice for president on a paper ballot and put it in a locked box. The boxes go to the Capitol in Washington, D.C. On January 6, the president of the Senate opens and “officially” counts the electoral votes in front of all of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A candidate needs a majority, or 270, electoral votes to win. All electors are expected to vote for the candidate who got the most votes from the people of their state. For example, California is a large state with 55 electors in the Electoral College. The candidate winning the most votes from the people will get all 55 California electoral votes. There are many debates and controversies about the Electoral College. It is possible for a candidate to win the most votes from the people in the November election, but lose the race in the Electoral College. This happens if the candidate loses in large electoral states by a very small number of votes, but wins in smaller electoral states by a very large number of votes. Examples of these controversies are found in history to include elections from the 1800’s. Three candidates lost in the popular vote, but won the presidency after the Electoral College voted. In 1824, Andrew Jackson won the most votes in the popular election, but the Electoral College chose John Quincy Adams for president. In 1876, Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, but some of those votes were contested and there were charges of fraud. In this case, a special commission was set up to choose the president. After months of debate, the commission chose Tilden’s opponent, Rutherford B. Hayes. Grover Cleveland, in 1888, got the most votes in the general election, but Benjamin Harrison won in the Electoral College and became president. To those who think the Electoral College should be abolished, changing the system of an Electoral College would mean amending the Constitution, and thus far, an amendment has never gotten enough support to become a law of the land. Key Terms: Electoral College Popular vote Ballot Party Republican Democrat Issue Candidate Politics Voter Poll Register
Do Now: Randomly distribute eight index cards which are color coded four red and four blue. On the red cards put one of the following numbers: 2, 4, 6, and 8. On the blue, write 1, 3, 5, and 7. Next, direct red and blue cardholders to stand in front of the room and hold their cards so that seated students can add them. Who wins-red or blue? Critical Thinking Questions: I. II. Why did the founding fathers choose to have a presidency not directly elected by the people? What are the inherent strengths and weaknesses with America’s electoral system?
Anticipatory Set: For the previous night’s homework, students will read the historic background. Identify the three possible ways the convention came up with to elect the president, as well as the final compromise.
Procedures: I. II. Discuss previous night’s homework: Anticipatory Set. Discussion of Electoral College (history, origin, and present-day) and relate it to student council representatives, and how they represent each homeroom in the larger group (school). Check understanding by informal questioning to ascertain a general understanding of Electoral College. Divide students into small groups (pairs, triads, or quads). In their groups, students will fill out the blank Electoral College map (A-1) with number of votes and state abbreviations using the “Distribution of Electoral Votes” (Handout A-2) and textbooks. Groups will strategize on which states they would need in order to win an election. Come back together as a total group and share strategies. Closure: In your notebooks briefly explain how we elect the president of the United States.
III. IV. V.
VI. VII. VIII.
Extension Activities: Debate whether the Electoral College should be abolished or kept the way it is. Strategize how a candidate could win 270 electoral votes but lose the popular vote. (list states involved)
Evaluation: Student involvement and discussion Group process – map (A-1) and the group list of states Closure activity in notebook
Suggested Homework: . Resources: “Electoral College Map” Handout (A-1) “Electoral Votes” Handout (A-2) www.socialstudiesforkids.com Explain to students that in the 2000 election President Bush defeated Al Gore even though Bush lost the popular vote – was that fair?
(Handout A-2) Distribution of Electoral Votes Total Electoral Vote: 538; Needed to Elect: 270 State 2001-2010 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire 9 3 10 6 55 9 7 3 3 27 15 4 4 21 11 7 6 8 9 4 10 12 17 10 6 11 3 5 5 4
New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Last Update: 10/3/03
15 5 31 15 3 20 7 7 21 4 8 3 11 34 5 3 13 11 5 10 3