Electoral College – Social Studies – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
What is the Electoral College (EC)
answer
A group of representatives that elect the President of the USA
question
Why did the Founding Fathers create the Electoral College?
answer
They considered the average American uniformed and unable to select the right person for President so they wanted a group of informed people selecting the President
question
Do smaller states have representation with the EC?
answer
The EC is a compromise between the small states and the large states so the smaller states would have representation.
question
Why do we still have the Electoral College?
answer
It is written in the Constitution whigh makes it very difficult to change and there are still many people who support the EC.
question
How many electors are there in the EC
answer
538
question
How are the electoral votes assigned to each state?
answer
The sum of Representatives in the House of Representatives and Senators. The number of Representatives is determined by population of that state
question
Which three states have the most electoral votes?
answer
California, Texas and New York
question
What is the minimun number of electoral votes in a state?
answer
Three. (Alaska, Delaware are two states with three votes. RI has 4 electoral votes)
question
How many electoral votes are needed to win
answer
270
question
Do Electors have to vote with popular vote?
answer
Only in states that have a law requiring Electors to do so.
question
What is a positive point of the Electoral College?
answer
It still gives states with small populations more attention during an election year.
question
What is a negative point of the Electoral College?
answer
A person that wins the popular vote could lose the election because an Elector doesn't vote the popular vote.
question
Is it possible to win the popular vote but lose the election?
answer
If there is a tie in the electoral vote, or no candidate wins the maority of electoral votes therefore the House of Representatives could decide to go against the popular vote and select someone for President.
question
What is the spoiler effect?
answer
When a 3rd party joins the race and takes too many votes away from the popular candidate.
question
What is the first past the post system
answer
When the candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate wins.
question
What is the Winner Take All system?
answer
The winner of the popular vote in the state takes all the electoral votes from the state.
