Exploring Electoral Systems
Learning Objective
I can analyze different electoral systems and their potential impacts on electio n outcomes.
Key Concepts
Unlike most democracies, the U.S. uses the Electoral College to elect its president, rather than a simple popular vote.
In the Electoral College, each state gets a number of delegates based on its congressional representatives plus two senators, which results in voters in states like Wyoming having more influence than voters in states like California.
Presidential candidates often focus their campaign efforts on swing states, because the candidate who wins the most votes in that state receives all of its electoral votes.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 6 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. What is the main difference between how the U.S. elects its president compared to most other democracies?
2. Explain how the number of electoral votes each state receives is determined.
3. Why do presidential candidates often spend more time campaigning in 'swing states'?
...and 3 more questions
Educational Video
The Electoral College, explained
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