Voting

In this discussion you will learn more about the Electoral College. You will first go to an interactive Electoral College map and see what it takes to get one candidate to win the Presidency. The second part of this discussion has you compare different proposals to electing the president rather than just the winner-take-all method.

For this discussion you will first go to an actual interactive Electoral College map (LINK: https://www.270towin.com/) and find a path for one candidate to win the Presidency.
You will then read the following hypothetical narrative – Voting System Exercise (I’ve only included a few states as I realize that the math can be daunting) and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS FOR RULES 1-3.

Voting Rule One: The Electoral College. The regular winner-take-all Electoral College rules apply for the awarding of electors. Which candidate wins? Why?
Voting Rule Two: The Popular Vote method. The Alternate US amends the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College, and instead chooses a president based on a national popular (first past the post) vote. Use the original vote totals . Who wins? Why?
Voting Rule Three: Proportional method. Instead of a winner-take-all Electoral College system, all states determine the distribution of votes using a statewide proportional model, with each state awarding their Electoral College votes according to the percent of the popular vote each candidate wins. Which candidate wins the election (remember that have to win MORE THAN HALF of the Electoral votes)? Why?

In your first paragraph, explain how you used the interactive Electoral College map to get a “win” for your candidate.

In the next paragraph, state your answers to the Voting System Exercise: Voting Rules 1-3

Voting System Exercise

There are 9 states in this Alternate United States of America, with a total of 50 electoral college votes up for grabs. That’s 1 electoral college vote for every 10,000 citizens. Each state has just voted in the presidential election, which is conducted exactly the same as the real United States. There were three candidates: Malcolm Reynolds of the Serenity Party, Kara Thrace of the Galactica Party, and Draco Malfoy of the Slytherin Party (a small, third party). The problem is that election officials have forgotten what the electoral rules are!

Below, you will see the vote totals in each state as well as the number of electors for each state. Assume that the Alternate United States operates according to the same basic principles as the real United States, with a bicameral Congress and Electoral College, unless told otherwise. It is your job to tell the election officials who has won the election according to each method of the following voting rules. Keep in mind the rules regarding the number of electoral votes needed and what happens should there be no clear winner or a tie. Assume that each state’s electors and representatives will abide by the popular vote results in each state. Also, if necessary, always round to the nearest whole number to determine the awarding of electoral college votes.