5 Ws of the Electoral College
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Elections in the United States
Lesson Plans by Matt Campbell
Every four years, citizens of the United States exercise one of the most powerful rights they have: their right to vote for the President of the United States. Learn more about the Electoral College with Storyboard That.
Storyboard Description
What is the Electoral College and what does it do? Create a storyboard to explain!
Storyboard Text
- Who Might Oppose the Electoral College?
- Andrew Jackson43.3%
- Samuel Tilden50.9%
- Lost
- Election of 1824
- Election of 1876
- John Quincy Adams31.6%
- Rutherford B. Hayes47.9%
- Won
- What Does the Electoral College Do?
- Candidate Smith wins the state!All Electoral Votes from the state will go to Candidate Smith!
- Candidate Smith60% of State Votes
- When Did the Electoral College Begin in the U.S.?
- There have been five elections in US history where the candidate who received the most popular votes did not win the election. In the 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 elections, the individual with fewer votes received more Electoral College votes and won the election.
- Grover Cleveland50.9%
- Al Gore48.4%
- Hillary Clinton48.4%
- Election of 2016
- Election of 1888
- Election of 2000
- Benjamin Harrison47.8%
- Donald Trump46.1%
- George W. Bush47.9%
- The Electoral College is a group of people that elects the president and vice president of the U.S. Each state has a specific number of votes based on their population, and whichever candidate receives at least 270 Electoral Votes wins the Presidency.
- Candidate Jones40% of State Votes
- The foundation of the Electoral College can be traced back to the Virginia Plan. Although created for Congressional representation, the same approach was used for the proportions of Electors in the Electoral College. Since 1880, the electors in every state have been chosen based on a popular election.
- Why is the Electoral College Used?
- 5 Ws of The Electoral College
- Where are the Most Electoral College Votes Located?
- California55
- 270 To Win
- Illinois20
- Pennsylvania20
- New York29
- Although it can be seen as a controversial and sometimes confusing system, the Electoral College emphasizes the need for candidates to appeal to the entire population instead of states with a large amount of electoral votes. A candidate needs to campaign throughout the entire country. If the US used only the popular vote, entire regions of the country could potentially be ignored.
- The six states with the most electors are California (55), Texas (38), New York (29), Florida (29), Illinois (20), and Pennsylvania (20). These states are incredibly important for candidates seeking to win the Presidential Election.
- Texas38
- Florida29
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