Objectives:
Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.
Explain how the Electoral College facilitates and/or impedes democracy.

Starter: In the 2016 presidential campaign, after the party nominating conventions, what four states had half of all campaign events?

1.How accurate was your prediction?

2.What was most surprising about this map?

3.What is the take home story of this map?

4.What aspect of the US political system explains why the map looks this way?

5.What is one consequence of this?

6.Central to the concept of democracy is the idea that all people are politically equal. Does this map resemble political equality?

7.Why did California, the nation's most populous state, receive only one campaign stop?

8.28 states received no visits from presidential campaigns. Why is that?

9.Is the information from this map good news?

10.Explain whether you think that this concentrated campaign activity decreased or increased voter turnout in those four states? In the other states?

11.What change in the US electoral system could make campaign events be spread more evenly throughout the US?

Word of the Day

platform
  • Define it
  • Provide an example
  • What were the main provisions of President Trump's platform?
  • How many of his campaign platform promises have been achieved?  Which ones?
  • Compare and contrast Joe Biden's and Bernie Sanders' platforms.

Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?

Using your responses from the document analysis, write an argument essay that explains whether the Electoral College should be abolished.
  • articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt and establishes a line of reasoning
  • support your claim with at least TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information:
    • at least ONE piece of information must be from one of the following foundational documents:
      • Brutus 1
      • Article II of the U.S. Constitution
      • The Federalist No. 51
    • use a second piece of evidence from another foundational document from the list or from your study of the electoral process
  • use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim/thesis
  • respond to an opposing or alternative perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal