The Basics
The basis for the number of electoral votes each state gets.
What is the number of congressional members it has (House & Senate)
This is the total number of members in the Electoral College
538
If a state has 15 House representatives, how many electoral votes does it have?
What is 17 (15 representatives + 2 senators)?
If an elector does NOT vote as his/her state did, they are known as...
What is a faithless elector.
This phrase means a candidate needs more than half of the votes.
What is majority?
When citizens vote for president, they are actually choosing these people.
What are electors?
This is the number of electoral votes a candidate needs to win the election.
270
If a candidate wins 60% of the votes in Oregon, how many electoral votes does s/he get from the state?
What is 8 / all of them.
The states today that benefit from overrepresentation in the Electoral College have this in common...
What is being "rural" or "low population"
True or False: The popular vote result determines who will be president.
What is False
One benefit of the Electoral College is that it prevents candidates from only campaigning in states with this characteristic
What are large populations?
A state's number of electoral votes is based on its total number of House representatives and these other elected officials
What are senators?
These two states are not winner-take-all.
What is Maine & Nebraska
Electors usually vote for whomever has won this in their state
What is the popular vote
The Electoral College helps prevent candidates from ignoring states with smaller ones of these.
What is Population Numbers
A state where both presidential candidates have a statistical chance to win.
What is a battleground state. (or swing state)
This state has the MOST electoral votes
What is California (54)
If Ohio has 17 electoral votes, and a candidate wins 51% of the vote there, how many electoral votes do they win?
What is 17 / all of them
These states receive the most attention during the campaign because they are the most competitive.
What are swing (or battelground) states.
Name one of the benefits of the Electoral College mentioned in the document.
Keeping candidates from only campaigning in states with large populations; choosing a clear winner quickly
They were awarded three electoral votes in 1961 with the 23rd amendment
What is Washington, D. C.
The number of times the popular vote winner has lost in the Electoral College in US history.
This is the most OVER represented state in the Electoral College.
What is Wyoming.
In the event no candidate wins the majority of electoral votes, this group will decide who will become president
What is the House of Representatives
How are Electors chosen?