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UNIT 5 TOPIC 8

Electing the President H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

THE ROAD TO A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

If someone is going to run for president, they have to first earn their party’s . This
happens through elections. Primaries are elections in which members of a party vote on
which they want to represent them in the election, which is the actual
election where a is chosen.

These primary elections happen state by state, and different states handle primaries in ways.
Some states hold primaries which means any registered voter can vote in
party’s primary, but not .

But other states, like New York for example, hold primaries. That means that only people
with the party can vote in those primaries.

Some states don’t use primaries, but instead hold to nominate their party’s candidate.
Now, a caucus is, in principle, no different than a . It’s people voting on their chosen
for the party. The only difference is that instead of using ballots to cast
their vote, voters at a caucus discuss and debate together and then vote .

So, party members vote on their chosen candidate, and whoever wins the primary, is presented as such at
the party’s . They present the winning candidate and their choice for
and that’s the beginning of the general election where each party’s chosen candidates run
against each other to become president.

Remember that a president can only serve four year terms, so if a president has done that,

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UNIT 5 TOPIC 8

Electing the President H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

THE ROAD TO A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION cont’d.

then parties choose candidates. However, if a president has only served

term, then that party keeps the president as their nominee.

If a sitting president is running again, that candidate is known as the .

The incumbent almost always has the advantage over the , a phenomenon known as the
. The first and most obvious advantage the incumbent has is that he has
already an election.

The second advantage is that the incumbent is a , which is to say, people already know
how they’ll act as president.

The third advantage is that the incumbent already has an army of and
ready to help with another campaign. And while this advantage is certainly helpful, it does not
a victory.

SUMMARIZE the notes above in your own words. (2-4 sentences)

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UNIT 5 TOPIC 8

Electing the President H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Then comes election day which is always the first in November.

While the people vote for the president, it is the electoral which is the constitutional
mechanism by which we a president. The framers of the Constitution weren’t too keen
on democracy, especially when it came to electing the president. So they devised a
system that would the voters from the election of the president, and that system is called the
.

Each state has the same number of as they have congressional .

When I go to the polls to vote, I’m not actually voting for the , I’m voting for that candidate’s
slate of who will then vote for the candidate I want in office.

In almost every state, whichever candidate wins a state, it’s a system for electoral votes.

However, in and , they have rules which allow them to

the electoral votes, but in every other state, it’s a winner take all system. It is possible for
an elector to vote against the popular vote, and if they do, they’re known as . That
almost never happens, and some states even have against it, but still it has happened now and
then. In order to win the election, the candidate has to receive a minimum of electoral votes, and
whichever candidate does, becomes the president.

Every four years when we have a presidential election, the over the electoral college returns.

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UNIT 5 TOPIC 8

Electing the President H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE cont’d.

For example, in the 2000 presidential election, Al , the Democratic nominee, won about
half a million more popular votes than the Republican candidate George W. . But Bush
ended up winning more votes and, through a highly contested outcome that ultimately
had to be decided by the , he defeated Gore. The same thing happened in 2016:
Hilary won more of the popular vote than Donald , but Trump
the election with a majority in the electoral college.

Proponents of the electoral college argue that this system candidates to campaign in many
places throughout America rather than just focusing on a few highly
states and cities. But the detractors of the electoral college say that while that’s true in , the
system actually only requires candidates to spend time in a handful of states. Swing states are
those states which can really go way on voting day.

SUMMARIZE the notes above in your own words. (2-4 sentences)

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UNIT 5 TOPIC 8

Electing the President H E I M L E R S H I S T O R Y. C O M

THEME : Civic Participation in a Representative Democracy

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

RESPOND to the learning objectives with an evidence-based, argumentative thesis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1: Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2: Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

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