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Lesson plan: The electoral processObjectives
Standards National College for the Social Studies Themes X: Civic Ideals and Practices Materials CNNfyi.com article, "Election Day, part two" Suggested time This lesson will take approximately three class periods. Procedures Class One: Understanding the Electoral College setup 1. Point out that the U.S. Constitution does specify a system for the election of the president, known as the Electoral College. Distribute copies of Backgrounder: The Electoral College. (Depending on the reading level of your students, you may want to choose the short or the long version.) Allow students ample time to read the information presented in the Backgrounder. 2. Have students read the CNNfyi.com article, "Election Day, part two." 3. Then ask students the following: Why was the Electoral College created? How was the number "538" derived as the total number of electoral votes? Why is it so difficult for third party candidates to win an election? How many electoral votes does a candidate need to receive to win the election? What happens if he or she does not receive a majority of votes? Who actually elects the president? What role does the ordinary citizen play in the process? How does the Electoral College system work? When has the Electoral College sustained the will of the voters? When has it not? Why were Florida's 25 electoral votes so crucial to this year's election? How did District of Columbia elector Barbara Lett-Simmons register a protest this year? What provisions are made in the Electoral College rules for electors who are unable to vote? 4. Show students the video clip: The Political Party Game. Use the corresponding questions and activities from the April 18 CNN NEWSROOM curriculum guide to help foster a discussion on the role that the two-party political system has played in American politics. How does the Electoral College affect the political strength of the two-party system in the United States? Class Two: The Electoral College debate 1. Review the arguments "for" and "against" the Electoral College (see Backgrounder.) 2. Assist students in conducting research to learn more about each of these points, pro and con, and to add others on each side. Have students examine some of the proposed modifications to the Electoral College as well. The Web sites below may be of assistance. 3. Share student findings in a class discussion. 4. Discuss scenarios, real and hypothetical, when the Electoral College is a suitable system for electing the president. Class Three: The campaign trail 1. Where did the candidates spend the last few weeks before the election? Place a dot (a different color for each candidate) on a map of the United States for each state a candidate visited in the weeks before the election. 2. Distribute copies of the "Distribution of Electoral Votes" from the Federal Election Commission at http://www.fec.gov/pages/elecvote.htm. 3. Based on student findings, discuss how the Electoral College dictates campaign strategy. Why did candidates spend more time and resources in larger states? Are there some key smaller states that were of interest to candidates? 4. Have students review the campaigns of the major presidential candidates, including the resources and time spent in the largest states, the issues covered and their appeal in different states/geographic regions. Share their findings in class discussion. 5. Have students look at the electoral vote total and popular vote outcome. Discuss the similarities and differences, and the role campaigning and the Electoral College played in the outcome of the election. Assessment Have students write individual position papers advocating elimination, preservation or modification of the Electoral College. Then divide the class into three groups and have each group debate one side of the Electoral College reform argument. Internet resource The Constitution Society is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to research and public education on the principles of constitutional republican government. It publishes documentation, engages in litigation and organizes local citizens' groups to work for reform. Helpful FEC sites
Federal Elections Commission www.publicagenda.com This site is the text of an opinion paper on electoral reform titled "The Electoral College-Then, Now and Tomorrow." |
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