Last night, as the presidential election was coming to a close, I sat down to discuss some of it with my kids (who I homeschool). We talked about the two frontrunners and touched on popular votes and electoral votes. They seemed completely lost, inspiring the following analogy.
Instead of referring to "electoral votes" (which is where I would completely "lose" them), I changed it up to say, consider, or think of "electoral votes" as a "bucket of candy". And each state has a bucket of candy with a different amount of candy inside. For instance, Texas has a bucket with 38 pieces of candy in their bucket (or 38 electoral votes), and Ohio has 18 pieces of candy in their bucket (or 18 electoral votes), New York has 29 pieces of candy in their bucket (or 29 electoral votes), but Wyoming only has 3 pieces of candy in their bucket (or 3 electoral votes), and so on and so on.
(We use this candy analogy for our division lessons as well, and personalize it by using family names, because they can get lost in the numbers but should we be dividing candy - you can bet your bottom dollar they understanding dividing that correctly!)
During election, we (the people of the United States of America), go to a voting booth and cast our vote (also referred to as a ballot). This can be done either on paper or electronically (these days, typically electronically). When everyone is done voting, the votes are tallied up (or counted). These votes are also referred to as "popular votes".
Now, back to the "candy in the bucket".
Who ever has the most "popular votes" in a state wins the that states "bucket of candy" (or electoral votes). There are only two states whose "candy" can be split up between the candidates: Nebraska, who has 5 pieces of candy in the bucket (or 5 electoral votes), and Maine, who has 4 pieces of candy in the bucket (or 4 electoral votes).
In the end, they guy with the most candy - wins!
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How many total electoral votes?
The number of electoral votes is 538, based on the total voting membership of the United States Congress: 435 Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 from the District of Columbia.
How is the number of electoral votes for each state determined?
The number of electoral votes for each state is equal to the number of Senators plus the number of the House of Representatives. The number of senators is fixed at two but the number of Representatives for each state varies with the population of the state but is always at least one. The District of Columbia (also known as Washington D.C.) gets the same amount of electoral votes as the state with the least amount of electoral votes (this is currently 3).
2 - Number of Senators for the state
+ X - Number of Representatives for the state (varies with population)
Y - Total Number of Electoral Votes ("candy in the bucket") for the state
The number of representatives that a state has is determined by the population. After the official census is completed every ten years, Congress adjusts the number of Representatives based on the new population figures. Consequently, the number of electoral votes (or "candy in the bucket") can increase or decrease.
How does the census effect the electoral votes?
A census is a process of collecting data (or information) pertaining to each person in the United States. This information is used to determine, among other things, funding for a state, and how many Representatives each state is allowed. This is also referred to as “Apportionment”. Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships (also called "seats") in the House of Representatives among the 50 states. This division (or Apportionment) is based on the population numbers collected during the census. A new census is taken every 10 years.
The total number of Representatives for each state is currently fixed at 435 (this means it must stay at 435 - each state can increase or decrease but the total number for the entire U.S. must stay at 435). Therefore, if one state increases in population enough to merit (or earn) another representative, then some other state must also lose a representative to keep the number at 435. In the past, the total number of Representatives has increased, but the last time that happened was in 1913.
The last U.S. Census was taken in 2010, and based on that information, some of the numbers of electoral votes ("candy") was increased and decreased for some states.
Here's the updated totals for each state for 2012:
Alabama - 9
Alaska - 3
Arizona - 11
Arkansas - 6
California - 55
Colorado - 9 (swing state)
Connecticut - 7
Delaware - 3
Florida - 29 (swing state)
Georgia - 16
Hawaii - 4
Idaho - 4
Illinois - 20
Indiana - 11 (swing state)
Iowa - 6 (swing state)
Kansas - 6
Kentucky - 8
Louisiana - 8
Maine - 4
Maryland - 10
Massachusetts - 11
Michigan - 16
Minnesota - 10
Mississippi - 6
Missouri - 10
Montana - 3
Nebraska - 5
Nevada - 6 (swing state)
New Hampshire - 4 (swing state)
New Jersey - 14
New Mexico - 5 (swing state)
New York - 29
North Carolina - 15 (swing state)
North Dakota - 3
Ohio - 18 (swing state)
Oklahoma - 7
Oregon - 7
Pennsylvania - 20
Rhode Island - 4
South Carolina - 9
South Dakota - 3
Tennessee - 11
Texas - 38
Utah - 6
Vermont - 3
Virginia - 13 (swing state)
Washington - 12
West Virginia - 5
Wisconsin - 10
Wyoming - 3
District of Columbia - 3
Some critics of the electoral voting system argue that it is undemocratic and gives swing states disproportionate influence in electing the President and Vice President. Supporters of the electoral voting system argue that it is an important, distinguishing feature of federalism in the United States and that it protects the rights of smaller states.
What is a swing state?
A swing states is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral votes. (For instance, certain states almost always lean one direction or another (Republican or Democrat). Swing states show a tendency to go either way and are targets for both of Republican and Democratic political parties during a presidential election because winning these states help secure winning the election.
Which U.S. states get to vote in the presidential election?
All 50 U.S. states are allowed to participate the voting process including the District of Columbia (also known as Washington D.C.) which is not considered a U.S. state. (The "D.C." in "Washington D.C." stands for District of Columbia.)
How many electoral votes does Washington DC get?
Washington DC gets 3 electoral votes as if it were a state, but will never get more than the least populous state.
Voting rights of citizens in the District of Columbia differ from the rights of citizens in each of the 50 U.S. States. The United States Constitution grants each state voting representation in both houses of the United States Congress. As the U.S. capital, the District of Columbia is a special federal district, not a state, and therefore does not have voting representation in the Congress. The Constitution grants the Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the District in "all cases whatsoever."
The District's lack of voting representation in Congress has been an issue since the capital's foundation. Numerous proposals have been introduced to change this situation including legislation and constitutional amendments, returning the District to the state of Maryland, and making the District into a new state. All proposals have been met with political or constitutional challenges and there has been no change in the District's representation in the Congress.
Why Isn't Washington DC a State?
Basically, Washington D. C. (or District of Columbia) is not a state because it is actually a Federal District. Without getting into too much detail, and in effort to avoid being too vague as well, the founders of the country did not want the federal government to be run by state laws nor to mingle. State laws can differ from federal laws creating conflict. Historically, states had more rights and power than the federal government, especially in the early days of the republic. But in 1783, there was an attack on Congress in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania authorities would not help in stopping the attack and the congressmen had to flee across the Delaware to neighboring New Jersey. Consequently, the federal government decided that the new capital would need to be in a "federal town" over which the federal government would have control so a similar scene would never play out again.
