Primaries & Electoral College Jigsaw Reading

Essential Question: How democratic is the nomination process for citizens voting for the
President of the United States today?

Source 1: 2008 Primary Presidential Election Result in California

https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/primaries/results/states/CA.html?mtrref=www.nytimes.com&assetType=P
AYWALL&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&assetType=PAYWALL&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&gwh=12DFD670A67D
E0B9E559F49E9C651AF0&gwt=pay&assetType=PAYWALL

Questions:

1. Who won the Democrat and Republican nomination?

2. Did they win by majority? Explain.

Source 2: Voter Turnout Graph for Primary Elections

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/08/so-far-turnout-in-this-years-primaries-rivals-2008-record/

Question:

1. Based on the entire graph, what trend do you notice about voter turnout in Primary
elections?

2. Look at the 2008 election, what percentage of eligible voters voted for the Democrat and
Republican primaries? What was the total eligible voter percentage in 2008?

3. Based on the 2008 data, do the winners in the Democrat and Republican primaries reflect
majority opinion?
Essential Question: How democratic is the nomination process for citizens in voting for the
President of the United States today?

Source 3: Article II, Section 1

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/350

Each State shall appoint [...] a Number of Electors (a person who has the right to vote in an
election), equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be
entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust
or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom
one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a
List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign
and certify (confirm), and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States,
directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the
Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be
counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number
be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who
have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall
immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President.

Questions:

1. What is an Elector and who qualifies to be one?

2. Who are voter (us) voting for in Presidential elections?

3. Who ultimately votes for the President?

4. What happens if no person receives a majority (over 270) votes?

Essential Question: How democratic is the nomination process for citizens voting for the
President of the United States today?

Source 4: 2000 General Election Map

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/2000

Questions:

1. Who won the 2020 election?

2. Did the winner receive the highest number or electoral and popular votes? Explain.

3. What does the Red, Blue, and Purple indicate on the map?

4. California is labeled blue. Does this mean that everyone in California is a Democrat?
Explain.
Essential Question: How democratic is the nomination process for citizens voting for the
President of the United States today?

Source 5: 2020 General Election Map

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/2020

Questions:

1. Who won the 2020 election?

2. Did the winner receive the highest number or electoral and popular votes? Explain.

3. What does the Red, Blue, and Purple indicate on the map?

4. California is labeled blue. Does this mean that everyone in California is a Democrat?
Explain.
Essential Question: How democratic is the nomination process for citizens voting for the
President of the United States today?

Source 6: How Electoral Votes are Allocated (Given Out): Race to 270 Votes

https://sccvote.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb1106/files/outreach/Electoral-College-Kids-Discover.pdf

Questions:

1. How does a president win the Presidency but not the popular vote?
2. How are Electoral votes allocated for the majority of the states?
3. What does a candidate need to win the electorate in a state?