Lesson 41 of 1524
Voting and Elections
Who may vote, who does vote, and how those votes are counted are three different questions.
Practice this chapterA closed primary lets only registered party members vote in that party’s primary. An open primary is less strict about party membership. A caucus is a meeting, not a silent ballot.
Incumbents win more often than challengers because they have a name, a record, and easier access to money. That advantage is a fact about campaigns, not a rule that the seat is locked.
Electoral College
538 electors, 270 to win
A majority of the electors, not a majority of the popular vote, chooses the president.
Worked example
A candidate wins the most votes nationwide but receives 265 electoral votes. The other major candidate receives 273. Who wins the presidency, and why?
- 1Count the electors, not the popular vote. The Constitution assigns the choice to electors.
- 2There are 538 electoral votes. A majority is more than half of 538, which is 270.
- 3265 is short of 270. 273 is past it.
- 4The candidate with 273 electoral votes is elected, even with fewer popular votes.
Result: The candidate with 273 electoral votes wins.
Why. The national popular vote does not elect the president. A majority of the Electoral College does, and 270 is that majority.
An initiative proposes a law. A referendum approves or rejects one. A recall removes an official. They are not three names for the same thing.
Practice margin
This chapter
A fresh set from this chapter only. Choose 10 or 20. Multiple choice and fill-in, with no repeat inside the set.