Primary Election
What month is the Primary Election in?
May
What month is the General Election in?
November
How do you win a popular vote?
Getting the most votes
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What is a voter's first step on Primary Election Day?
Declaring your political party (Democratic or Republican)
In what month do Electors officially cast their votes?
December
How do you win the electoral college?
Winning at least 270 electoral votes
Which state has the most electoral votes?
California
What is a voter's second step on Primary Election Day?
The voter gets a ballot for their political party.
In what month is the election certified?
January
How do you win electoral votes?
Winning the popular vote in different states.
Who decides the election if there is a tie in the Electoral College?
The House of Representatives
What is a voter's third step on Primary Election Day?
The voter picking one candidate for each office.
What is one disadvantage of the electoral college?
- The number of electoral votes are not the same from state to state
- The popular vote winner doesn't always become President
- If there is a tie 435 people decide the election for the nation
- Small states with less electoral votes are often ignored during campaigning
- States in which the candidate is sure to win (or not to win) are often ignored
How is it decided how many electoral votes each state gets?
Based on the number of congress members that state has (which is based on their population).
What are the to different type of votes?
Popular & Electoral
What is the fourth step on Primary Election Day?
The candidate from each party who gets the most votes will represent their party in the fall general election.
What is one advantage of the Electoral College?
- Ensures all regions are involved
- Promotes a two-party system & national stability
- Protects minority interests
- Candidates can use their campaign money more strategically
Name either the candidates or the year of the elections in the past 25 years in which someone won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote.
Al Gore & George W. Bush (2000)
Hilary Clinton & Donald Trump (2016)
Who determines how elections will be run in each state?
The state