Electoral College Lesson Plan

Name Date
Mr. Jones 09/25/2023

Subject/Grade Topic
10th grade history Electoral College and Running for office
The big idea(s) or essential question(s)
Election process
What it is like to run for office
State of Idaho and/or common core standards addressed.
9-12. G.4.2.6 Explain the electoral process at each level of government.

Objectives
Students will be able to explain how the president of the United States can get elected.

Students will be able to explain what tactics are used by presidential candidates and why.

Materials and/or technology Needed.

Electoral College Game: Dogs vs Cats for President
 State nametags
 Delegate name tags
PowerPoint on the electoral college and presidential election
PowerPoint
 Students will take their own notes.
 Printed out PPT and notes if needed.
Exit ticket out the door
Activities/procedures (include anticipated time for each)
Introduction/activator
Begin by asking students what they know about the process of electing the
President of the United States. List their ideas on the board.

Class activities Class activities

(what you/students will do) (why you will do them)
 Teacher will ask students what they  This is so the teacher can find a basis of
know about the electoral college(2-3 what the students know.
minutes)
 Teacher will present PowerPoint about  Opens students to the material.
the electoral college and students will
take notes (15-20 minutes)
 Teacher invites a student from each  Allows students to learn about the
group to come up and pick what state election process hands on
they will be. Each group will vote to
make one person their delegate or
‘voter’. Teacher will take a poll of the  Puts a good wrap up on the class
class to see who thinks what. Those
from cats’ side will give their reasons.
Dog people will do the same. Each
election will be held in each
state/group. The winner with the most
 electoral group votes wins. (30
minutes)
 Teacher will hand out an exit ticket
with 5 minutes remaining in class,
during that time the teacher will go
over and recap the lesson that day.
(Last 5 minutes)

Closure/reminders
Invite students to share what they learned from the activity.
Students must finish exit ticket to leave for the day
Assessment
(how you will know students met the objectives - include rubrics)
At the end of class there will be an exit ticket with 5 multiple choice questions
about the material covered that day.
Accommodations/differentiation
Printed out versions of the PowerPoint can be provided if need be.
If student doesn’t have the technology to do activity with another student

Reflection/evaluation
(After lesson is taught put your reflections here)
Did I get through all the material in time?
Did the students get all they needed?
Did everything work well?
ELECTORAL COLLEGE NOTES
NAME: _________________________________ DATE: _________

What is the electoral college and how are electors chosen?

• The electoral college is a group of people chosen from each State (and Washington DC) to formally
select the President and Vice President.
• A presidential elector is one person of the electoral college group who cast the formal votes that
choose the President and the Vice President.
• Electors are chosen by the results of the State popular vote on election day.
• The Framers expected electors to use their own judgment, however, most electors today are expected
to vote for their party’s candidates.
• Political parties are greatly responsible for the selection of electors today.
How many electors does each state receive?

• Each State receives as many electors as it has members of Congress.

• Keep in mind this number can change every ten years based on reapportionment due to
census numbers.
• As a result, a State receives at least three electors.
To calculate the electors for your state take the number of Senators (2) and add that to the number of House
of Representative members

How many electors are needed to win?

• There are 538 presidential electors. Victory requires one over half. So, a great deal of importance is
placed on the concept of 270 to win.
• Originally the Framers had electors cast two votes for president, each for a different person. The
winner became President with the second place becoming Vice President.
What impact did the rise of political parties have on the Electoral College?

• The rise of political parties and the controversy created during the Election of 1800 resulted in a
change to the original rule and the passage of the 12th Amendment.
• During the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied, leaving no clear winner.
• According to the Constitution, the House of Representatives decides the presidency in the case of a tie
or if no one receives more than one-half of the votes.
• It eventually took 36 votes in the House to determine the winner.
• The 12th Amendment created separate electoral votes for President and Vice President.
What is the importance of winner-take-all?

• The winner-take-all system gives all of a State’s electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular
vote of the State.
• Even if the candidate wins by one vote, they receive all of the votes. This system is used in most States
today.
• What does the graph on the left suggest about this system?
What are battleground/swing states?

• In an attempt to achieve the required 270 votes to win, candidate campaigns create a strategy for
victory.
• Decisions have to be made on how much time to spend campaigning in each state.
• Some tend to lean strongly toward one party; these are called safe states. Blue states are those that
are safe Democratic states while red states are safe Republican states.
• Battleground states sometimes referred to as swing states are those that are up for grabs and
generally decide the election.
Issues of the Debate

Does the Electoral College still effectively select a President?

• Critics note that the electoral process does not always end up with the winner of the popular vote
winning the electoral vote and the presidency. Critics argue that winner-take-all has made this a bigger
concern.
• Five times in our history, the person with fewer popular votes became President through the electoral
college system. The most recent example was the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
• Sixteen times in our history, the winner of the election won the presidency with less than a majority of
the popular vote.
Does the Electoral College still effectively select a President?

• Electors are not required by the Constitution to pick the winner of the popular vote in their State.
• Some state have tried to address this through state and party rules. Electors who don’t vote for the
candidate they are pledged are referred to as faithless electors.
• SCOTUS in July of 2020 ruled that states can require by law electors to vote for the popular vote
winner of that state.
• If an election goes to the House of Representatives, House votes are by State, not by individuals, which
gives smaller States a larger influence, even with fewer people. If a majority of State representatives
cannot agree on a choice, the State loses its vote. The House vote also requires a majority of 26 States,
this could be very difficult process.
Does the Electoral College still effectively select a President?
 • Proponents of the Electoral College believe that the system promotes Federalism and guarantees the
roles of states in the process.
• Proponents also identify the importance of the Electoral College in keeping all parts of the country
involved in the process. They feel that the Electoral College forces candidates to pay attention to all
states, especially in a close election.
• Other proponents suggest that a direct popular vote election might actually add to the costs of
campaigning since the state boundaries would no longer be relevant. There is also an increased
likelihood of voter fraud.
Why did the Framers decide to use the Electoral College?

• The Framers of the Constitution debated whether to have the President chosen by Congress or by the
popular of the people.
• Opponents of congressional selection felt the separation of powers between the executive and
legislative branches would be violated.
• Opponents of the popular election felt that the people would not know enough about the candidates
to make wise choices.
New Ideas?

 Name at least one new idea set forth for electing the President: