Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1
NCSS: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Power, Authority, and Governance • Civic Ideals and Practices
STANDARDS
Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1
NCSS: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Power, Authority, and Governance • Civic Ideals and Practices
ELECTION 2020
Civics
The JS Guide to the Electoral College
Believe it or not, voters don’t directly pick the U.S. president. A group of 538 people—known as the Electoral College—does. Though it might seem surprising, this system was written into the Constitution. Read on to find out how it works.
News flash: This fall, Americans won’t technically be voting for Donald Trump or Joe Biden, even though their names will appear on the ballot.
The U.S. president isn’t elected directly by voters but by the Electoral College. That’s a group of 538 people (called electors) who represent all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Americans actually cast ballots for electors from their state who have pledged to support a particular candidate.
This system of electing the president was written into the U.S.
The
An Electoral Compromise
Why do we have the Electoral College? At the
Americans don’t vote directly for president on Election Day.
When voters cast their ballots, they’re actually choosing their state’s electors. Those are people who have pledged to support a particular presidential candidate. Electors typically are active members of their political party. They may be party leaders, elected officials, or individuals who are closely associated with a presidential candidate.
The 2020 Electoral Map
This map shows the number of electors in each state and Washington, D.C.—plus how those electors are expected to vote this year. Which way does your state lean?
Not all states have the same number of electors.
Each state has as many electors as it has members in the U.S.
Although this setup gives populous states a lot of electoral votes, it does not necessarily give those states’ voters more influence. For example, California’s 55 electoral votes work out to about 1 electoral vote per 718,000 residents. The least populous state, Wyoming, has 3 electoral votes—about 1 electoral vote per 193,000 residents.
A candidate needs to gain at least 270 electoral votes.
There are 538 electors in the Electoral College. Each elector gets to cast one electoral vote for president. A candidate needs a majority of electoral votes to win, which works out to at least 270. Every state except Maine and Nebraska has opted for a “winner take all” approach: The candidate who gets the most votes in a state wins all of that state’s electors.
A president doesn’t always win the popular vote.
The “winner take all” rules in most states mean a candidate can succeed in the Electoral College without winning the
Either of the candidates could win the Electoral College this year.
When this issue went to press, Biden looked more likely to win the popular vote, but experts say the Electoral College could go either way, depending on
The popular vote results could take days or weeks to determine, officials warn, because a record number of Americans are expected to vote by mail. The official Electoral College totals will be announced on January 6, 2021. Two weeks later, on January 20, the winner will be sworn into office.
Get the latest election news and results! Visit scholastic.com/election for updates, resources, and more.