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overview_of_the_electoral_college.docxOverview of the Electoral College
There are a total of 538 electoral votes. The number of electors in each state receives equals the number of members of Congress (Senate & House) it has. The District of Columbia also receives 3 electoral votes. The majority of states use a winner-take-all system: the candidate that wins the popular vote gets all of that state’s electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska allocate their electoral votes proportionally. This is why electoral and popular votes can differ. 270 votes are needed to be elected the President of the United States. If no candidate receives a majority, the House of Representatives selects the president from the top three candidates and the Senate selects the Vice President. Each state gets one vote. This happened in 1800 and 1824.The results of the Electoral College differed from the popular vote three times – 1876, 1888, and 2000.
Create a table of swing states (include if they are minor or major swing states) and the number of electoral votes for each state.
Select two states and craft an analysis on the following themes: electoral votes, issues, key groups, voting history and demographic breakdown. Use the following as an example:
State: Washington
Electoral Votes: 11
Issues: Large employers such as Boeing and Microsoft are concerned about WTO regulations and their ability to compete in a free enterprise market. National defense has been an important issue in the state where veterans live in large populations. A liberal-leaning population in the western half of the state is interested in issues such as abortion, the environment, the economy, and Iraq
Key Groups: Veterans; workers in high-tech industries
Voting History:
2000 D (50%) R (45%) 1996 D (50%) R (37%) 1992 D (43%) R (32%) 1988 D (50%) R (48%) 1984 R (56%) D (43%) 1980 R (50%) D (37%)
Demographic Breakdown: 93% White, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic
Then answer these Questions as you complete this assignment:
What strategy would you use to swing voting towards your candidate? What is a "swing" state? Why are they important to the election? Are there more Republican states or Democratic states? Which states are most likely to see the closest races this presidential election? What will candidates do to win over voters in these crucial parts of the country? What special interest groups would support your strategy? How long will candidates compete for voters in swing states? What significant pre-election events are coming up this summer? What patterns do you notice? Why do you think a state votes in a certain way? You can respond to some of these questions in your table. Be creative and have fun.
350 wORDS The word count applies to the essay only - the table does not count in the total.
