San José State University
Writing Concisely: Deleting or Replacing Unnecessary Information
Are you actually feeling really tired of reading wordy, redundant, long, lengthy sentences practically all the time over and over again? Introduce writers to this handout and exercise to teach to tighten up their prose! Provides two ways...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: Who Elects the President?
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a text about the presidential election in 2000. Students fill in 10 blanks, choosing from 4 words for each that will make the text make sense.
Curated OER
Just Graph It!
Students research presidential election voting results, and organize and interpret data on class graphs.
Curated OER
Mahoney Word Search Puzzle
For this literacy worksheet, students look for the words that are part of the word search puzzle that is focused around the theme of the sheet.
Curated OER
Vital Voters
Students create voter education campaigns to raise awareness of and interest in the government for future voters.
US National Archives
Nara: u.s. Electoral College: u.s. Electoral College
National Archives and Records Administration home page on the U.S. Electoral College. Contains details on historic voting patterns as well as technical details on procedures.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained
A brief video that describes the Electoral College and its role in presidential elections. [5:22] Followed by a quiz and a list of additional resources to explore.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Election of the President & Vice President: Electoral College
Ben's Guide is a fun way to present U.S. Government to students grades K-12. This site presents an in depth look at the electoral college. Links to related sites are available.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Constitutional Compromises: The Electoral College
This resource from Khan Academy provides a lesson about the Electoral College. This lesson is intended for students taking high school or college level American Government and Civics courses, including the AP Government course.
National Geographic
National Geographic: The Electoral College
Discover how the United States elects its president by using an Electoral College. A map shows how the Electoral College's 538 members are distributed throughout all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Other
National Council for the Social Studies: Teaching About the Electoral College
Are you actually electing the president when you vote on election day? This article explains how the Electoral College works, based on the 2004 election, and suggests activities for helping students understand it. The file can be...
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Election of the President & Vice President: Electoral College
Provides information on the Electoral College and how we use this system to elect the President of the U.S. Features links to much more information on the election.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Write Now: The Electoral College
A module to learn and explore the electoral process.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Reform the Electoral College? Two Views From Congress
Two congressmen provide arguments for and against the Electoral College, a system that has been used for over 200 years to elect the president of the United States. Contains links to more information.
Library of Congress
Loc: Presidential Elections and the Electoral College
This congressional record of the proceedings of the Electoral Commission of 1877 includes primary source documents that give insight into the functions of the electoral college. Includes discussions of vote counting, contested results...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Annotation 2: Article Ii: Electoral College
Article explaining how the electoral college system works in American politics.
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Ap Us Government and Politics: Unit 3: The Electoral College [Pdf]
This is a transcript of a podcast lecture from George C. Edwards III, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. He explains how the Electoral College works and the impact it can have on the outcome of...
This Nation
This nation.com: Electoral College
A textbook excerpt from ThisNation.com that includes a useful chart of electoral votes by state. Clickable links to pertinent articles and amendments of the Constitution are another plus.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: The Electoral College
Political parties want winner-take-all elections for electors. This means that the state that receives the most popular votes wins all the state's electoral votes. All the states except Maine use this winner-take-all system today.
PBS
Pbs News Hour: The Electoral College (Lesson Plan)
A activity that involves students in defining, analyzing, and debating the pros and cons of the electoral college system.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Electoral College vs. Popular Vote
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson allows for students to try voting for themselves in order to explore the Electoral College voting system.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: Elections: The Electoral Map
Find out how the United States Electoral College map is determined every ten years by the official Census.
New York Times
New York Times: On This Day: Electoral College Controversy 1876
Thomas Nast's political cartoon from a Harper's Weekly 1877 edition plus a description of the dispute over the election of 1876.
iCivics
I Civics: The Electoral Process
Take a peek into the electoral process from party primaries to the general election. Students will learn the distinctions between the popular vote and the Electoral College, and exercise their critical reasoning skills to analyze the...