Transcript How the Electoral College Works

How the Electoral
College Works
Unit: Election by the Numbers
United States Constitution
• The United States
Constitution outlines
how the President is
to be elected.
• The two main
sections that deal with
the electing of the
President are:
a.Article I Section II:
Census
b.Article II Section I:
Electoral College
What is a census and
why do we have one?
• A census is the actual counting of
people.
• The Constitution requires that a census
be performed every ten years because
populations tend to shift throughout
the country.
• The number of representatives that a
state has is dependent upon
population.
After the 1990 census, the state of
Connecticut had six US representatives
based upon their population. After the
2000 census, Connecticut lost one
representative seat and now has only
five representatives.
Much of the population shift has been
southward. For example, Georgia was
allocated eleven representatives in
1990. That number has grown to thirteen
representatives after the 2000 census.
The Number of Electoral College
Votes Each State has is
Determined by:
Number of +
Representatives
May Change
with Census…
Each State has at
Least One
Representative
Number of = Total Number
of Electoral
Senators
College
Votes
Each
State has
Two
Senators
Connecticut 2000
Presidential Election
1990 Census Data
Number of
Total Number
Number
of
+
=
Representatives
of Electoral
Senators
College Votes
6
2
8
Connecticut 2004
Presidential Election
2000 Census Data
Number of
Total Number
Number
of
+
=
Representatives
of Electoral
Senators
College Votes
5
2
7
Georgia 2000
Presidential Election
1990 Census Data
Number of
Total Number
Number
of
+
=
Representatives
of Electoral
Senators
College Votes
11
2
13
Georgia 2004
Presidential Election
2000 Census Data
Number of
Total Number
Number
of
+
=
Representatives
of Electoral
Senators
College Votes
13
2
15
How is a President Elected?
• The candidate who wins the popular vote within a
state…wins all of the electoral votes for that state.
• The first candidate to receive a majority of the electoral
college votes from all the states is elected president.
• If there is no majority, the House of Representatives will
choose between the top three candidates.
2000 Presidential Election
435 Representatives
100 Senators
+
3 Electoral Votes for
Washington D.C.
______________
538 Electoral
College Votes
Majority = 270
Electoral College Votes
George W. Bush
271
Al Gore
266
One Electoral Vote was NOT cast