Election Night Extra Credit
Up to 45 Points Extra Credit
Your assignment is to follow the election on election night. Color in the map according to which candidate wins each state. Color the states
that the republican candidate wins red and color the states that the democratic candidate wins blue. Then write who won the election. Read
the article, summarize it and then answer the following question: Is the Electoral College fair?
After you have done that go to http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/2008-election-map.html#/president?view=race08 and compare
your map to the 2004 election map compare that map to the states President Obama won in 2008 and the states the Democratic candidate
won in 2012. Then compare the states that John McCain won in 2008 to the states the Republican candidate won in 2012.
Part 1: The Candidates (2 points)
List the candidates according to their political party
Democratic candidate: _________________________________
Republican candidate: _________________________________
Part 2: Popular Vote (3 points)
Popular vote: List how many people voted for the Democratic candidate and the Republican Candidate
Democratic candidate: # of popular votes ______________________________
Republican candidate: # of popular votes: ______________________________
Part 3 Summarize article and Fairness of the Electoral College ( 10 points)
Read the article, summarize it and then answer the following question: Is the Electoral College fair?
The following article is from http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/electoral.college/more.html
The president and vice president are elected by 538 Electoral College voters, one per senator and representative from each state, who usually
cast a ballot for the candidate who wins the popular vote. In addition, the District of Columbia has three votes. A candidate must receive a
majority of 270 votes to win the election.
So do we the people really elect the president and vice president? Technically, we don't. Presidents are elected by the states and the District
of Columbia, not by a national tally of voters. When you vote, you cast your ballot for electors who will vote for a candidate they are politically
aligned with.
Most of the time, that means the candidate who wins the popular vote also wins the Electoral College vote. (Not so in the 2000 election- Al
Gore and George W. Bush)
There are 538 Electoral College voters, one per senator and representative from each state. The District of Columbia, which has no
congressional representation, has three votes - the minimum.
California has 55 votes, while Texas (34) and New York (31) have the second and third most, respectively. Besides D.C., seven states have
three votes.
The colleges of electors from each state meet on the same date - this year, December 13 - and vote for a president and vice president. There
is no central location that the voters meet - in this case, college refers to a body of electors, not a building. Most of the 51 slates of electors
meet at their respective state capitols.
There are measures to replace an original elector who cannot make it to the vote.
On January 6, the new Congress will meet in joint session to tally and announce the vote. If no candidate has a majority of the electoral votes,
the House of Representatives picks the president and the Senate chooses the vice president.
Summary:
Is the Electoral College fair? Explain your answer.
Part 4 Electoral votes map (10 points)
Color in the map according to which candidate wins each state. Color the states that the republican candidate wins red and color the states
that the democratic candidate wins blue. Then write who won the election.
Winner:
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Part 5 Comparing Elections (10 points)
After you have done that go to http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/2008-election-map.html#/president?view=race08 and compare
your map to the 2008 election map and compare that map to the states President Obama won to the states that the Democratic candidate won
in 2012 and compare the states that John McCain won in 2008 to the states the Republican candidate won in 2012
20 08
20 12
John McCain
President Obama
Rep. Candidate
Dem. Candidate
Alabama
Alaska
Alabama
Arizona
California
Connecticut
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Part 6: Short Answer: (10 points)
Account for the changes in the Electoral College votes from the 2008 and 2012 elections.