Idaho Social Studies 9-12.GOV.37
The Standard
Explain the Electoral College system, and how it has evolved over time, and compare arguments for and against it.
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Function And Structure of the U.S. Political System
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how state votes usually determine electors and how electors choose a president. They describe how the Twelfth Amendment changed the voting process. They compare arguments about state representation and individual voters' influence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given state results, a student can tally electoral votes and explain why the winner might not have the most individual votes. They can name a change to the system and use an election result to support an argument on each side.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often assume the national popular vote decides the winner. They may think every state splits electoral votes by vote share, or that the Constitution requires winner-take-all rules. Some miss that electors once voted for president and vice president without separate ballots.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Lee wins one state with 6 electoral votes; Kim wins two states with 4 each. Who wins, how could Lee still get more individual votes, and what did the Twelfth Amendment change?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups three paper state cards: Lee wins 6 electors; Kim wins 4 and 4; have students tally the cards.
Ask: Should the candidate with the most individual votes always win? Use the 6-to-8 elector tally to defend your answer.
Race to match amendment cards with rule cards: Twelfth with separate ballots, Twenty-Third with D.C. electors.
Show students Michigan's 2016 results: Trump won by about 11,000 votes and gained 16 electors; ask how winner-take-all affected the tally.
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