Lesson 18 of 84 ยท Government
โญ 30 XP๐๏ธ Civic SquareThe Electoral College
The Electoral College is a special group of people who help elect the President of the United States.
๐ฏ Your mission
Learn how the rule got made โ and who it serves.
โก The twist
Laws change. Power changes who gets to change them.
Mind = Blown
๐คฏ Women in New Zealand could vote 27 years before women in the US.
Then & Now
๐๏ธ The rule you'll meet today is still on the books โ sort of.
The Electoral College is a special group of people who help elect the President of the United States. When citizens vote for president, they are actually voting for a set of electors chosen by their state. These electors then cast the official votes for president. Each state has a certain number of electors based on its population, and the candidate who receives the majority of electoral votes wins the presidency.
Key Facts
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors.
A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Most states use a winner-takes-all system for their electoral votes.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2What is the purpose of the Electoral College?
Why this still matters
Your school has rules. Where do they come from? Who decides them?
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Make up a fair rule for your family. Pitch it.
For the dinner table
โWhat's one rule at our house you'd change if you could vote on it?โ
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