The Electoral College Process

This activity can be used during a civics or government course, or prior to a Presidential election, to understand the Electoral College. For grades 8-12, or as an introductory college/university-level activity. Approximate time needed is 30 minutes.

Students can complete the activity individually or in a full-class setting with the teacher or instructor walking students through the process and the historical documents.

Ask students to begin the activity by reading the introduction, which explains that the Electoral College is a process, not a place. Students will read the basic steps of the Electoral College process.

Students should then click on the “Open in New Window” icon for each document to see it more closely and figure out which step in the process it represents. They can click “Show Hints” for help, then arrange the images in the correct order following the electoral college process (not by the dates on the documents since they come from different elections).

The steps in the process are:

1. Citizens cast their vote in the general election. (Photograph of “Mrs. T.H. Fresdahl, Age 82, Casts Her Vote”)
2. Electors are appointed and the governor of that state prepares “Certificates of Ascertainment” naming the electors. (New Hampshire Certificate of Ascertainment in the 1792 Presidential election)
3. Electors meet and record their votes for President and Vice President on “Certificates of Vote” in their state. (Massachusetts Certificate of Vote for Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 Presidential election)
4. States send their electoral votes to the President of the U.S. Senate. (Electoral vote from Massachusetts to the President of the Senate)
5. Congress counts the electoral votes in a joint session of Congress. (1988 Presidential Election Electoral College Tally)
6. The President-elect and Vice President-elect take the Oath of Office on Inauguration Day. (Photograph of President-elect Clinton Taking the Oath of Office)

When students have finished ordering the documents, they should click “When You’re Done” and respond to the following information and questions:

The Founders established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote. Since the process is part of the original design of the Constitution, it would be necessary to pass a Constitutional amendment to change this system.

• What are the benefits of the Electoral College system for electing the President?
• What are the drawbacks (or negatives)?

Many different ideas for changing the Presidential election process have been suggested over the years, such as direct nation-wide election by voters. But no proposals have been passed by Congress and sent to the States for ratification as a Constitutional amendment. Under the most common method for amending the Constitution, an amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the States.

• Do you think that Congress should suggest an amendment to change how we elect a President? What is your suggestion?

Conduct a class discussion based on students’ answers.

Find more information about the Electoral College from the National Archives, including:

• How did we get the Electoral College? What proposals have been made to change it?
• About the electors
• Key dates for the most recent Presidential election
• How is it possible for the electoral vote to produce a different result than the national popular vote?
• What happens if a candidate with electoral votes dies or becomes incapacitated after the general election?
• What happens if the States don’t submit their Certificates in time because of a recount?
• And other frequently asked questions

The National Archives administers the electoral process by receiving Certificates of Ascertainment of electors and Certificates of Vote from the States and the District of Columbia. The Office of the Federal Register at the National Archives reviews the Certificates for legal sufficiency and makes them available to Congress for the official accounting of electors and votes.