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Activities

THE GENERAL ELECTION AND THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

 http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/wh04.html#04a
http://ccollege.hccs.cc.tx.us/instru/govecon/ec/ec.htm
http://www.avagara.com/e_c/
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/politics/govworks/na9.htm
http://www.fec.gov/pages/elecvote.htm
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/procedural_guide.html
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/2004/dates.html
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/G04/
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/election/electoral.html
http://www.congressforkids.net/Elections_electoralcollege.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/vote/presidential_elections.shtml
http://www.govspot.com/features/electionprocess.htm
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=19990617&s=19990617hoffman
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plans/lesson-3425.html
http://www.dailyaztec.com/Archive/Fall-2000/11-13-00/opinion/opinion01.html

As a group, answer the following questions using the websites listed above:

  1. Who can vote in the general election? 

  2. Do you have to be a registered party member to vote?

  3. When is the general election held?

  4. What is the electoral college?

  5. Are members of the electoral college bound to vote for a particular candidate?

  6. Why would one state have more electoral votes than another?

  7. How can you figure out how many electoral votes each state has?

  8. How many electoral votes does your state have?

  9. How does each state allocate their electoral votes to the candidates (winner-take-all? proportionally?)?

  10. What is the total number of electoral votes?

  11. How many electoral votes does a candidate need in order to win an election?
  12. If none of the presidential candidates received the minimum electoral votes needed to win the election, who decides the President?
  13. When do the members of the electoral college (electors) actually “elect” the president?
  14. What does the phrase “popular vote” refer to?
  15. How can a candidate lose the popular vote and win the presidency? 
  16. When did this happen recently?
  17. How do I know my single vote can make a difference in an election?   

Task: Hold a mock election in your school.

Process:

Researchers: Develop a way of assigning electoral votes to each classroom.  Create registered voter lists for each classroom.

Publicity Team: Have the interns on the Candidates and the Issues team show each class platform videos.  Create ballots for the election.  A sample ballot can be found at http://www.limington.org/lfp/bal001107.html#dist12.  You will only include the candidates for President of the United States.  Publicize the winner of the mock election in a Publisher flyer or newsletter.  

Election Officials: Create voting booths.  Establish a polling place.  Hand each voter a ballot as they enter the polling place.  Be sure to check off the names of the voters as they get a ballot so they can’t vote more than once.

Spokesperson: Explain the election process to the interns at the next meeting of the Election Committee.  At the meeting present the results of the vote in each classroom.  Tally the popular and electoral vote results at a meeting of all the interns.