Teaching the Electoral College: 4 Tips for Upper Elementary

By Kirsten Hammond

The Electoral College is a complex system that can be pretty tricky to explain to students. However, understanding this unique aspect of American democracy is essential for fostering informed citizens of the future.

In this post, we’ll break down what the electoral college is, share some fun facts, and offer tips on how to teach this concept to 3rd-5th graders in an engaging way.

Voting for the Electoral College

What is the Electoral College?

Every four years, American citizens cast their votes for President and Vice President. But here’s where it gets interesting: those votes, known as the popular vote, don’t directly elect the president. Instead, they determine who the 538 members of the Electoral College will be, and it’s these electors who ultimately choose the President and Vice President.

The electoral college system is organized by states. Each state is assigned a certain number of electors, which equals its number of senators (always two) and representatives (which is based on the state’s population).

For example, California, a large state, has 54 electors, while Wyoming, a smaller state, has just 3 electors. Washington, D.C. is also given 3 electors.

When citizens vote in presidential elections, they are technically voting for a group of electors selected by their preferred political party. In most states, the party that wins the popular vote sends all its electors to the Electoral College. These electors then cast their official votes for president and vice president.

The candidate who receives the majority of electoral votes—at least 270 out of 538—wins the presidency.

us-flag

Fun Facts About the Electoral College

  1. The Electoral College was created because the framers of the U.S. Constitution were concerned that the average voter might not be well-informed enough to choose a president directly.
  2. In most states, the candidate with the majority of the popular vote wins all of the state’s electoral votes. However, Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system, meaning they split their electoral votes based on the popular vote.
  3. Four times in U.S. history, a candidate has won the presidency despite losing the popular vote. This happened in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.
  4. To win the presidency, a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes, which is more than half of the total 538 votes available.

4 Tips for Teaching the Electoral College to 3rd-5th Graders

Teaching the electoral college can be daunting, but with the right strategies, you can make it easier for young students to understand. Here are four tips to help:

1. Use Visual Aids

Visual aids like diagrams, maps, and charts are incredibly helpful when explaining the Electoral College. Show a map of the United States with the number of electoral votes for each state. This helps students visualize how states contribute to the overall electoral vote count.

  • Tip: Color-code the states based on their number of electoral votes or use an interactive map to allow students to explore which states hold the most influence.

2. Simplify with Comparisons

Comparing the Electoral College to something students are familiar with can help make the concept easier to grasp. For example, compare it to a school election where different classes or grades represent states, each with a certain number of votes. This mimics how the Electoral College assigns different numbers of votes to each state based on its population.

  • Example: If one grade has more students than another, they would get more votes in the election, just like how larger states have more electoral votes than smaller states.

3. Interactive Simulations

Create a mock election in your classroom to show how the Electoral College works in action. Assign students to represent different states and give them the correct number of electoral votes for that state. After the “popular vote,” have students cast their electoral votes. This hands-on activity allows students to experience how the system operates.

  • Tip: Use props like name tags for the states and real ballots to make the election feel more authentic.

4. Discuss Real-Life Examples

Real-life examples of how the Electoral College has impacted elections can make the topic more relatable. Share stories about elections where the Electoral College played a significant role, like the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore or the 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. These examples can spark interesting discussions about why the Electoral College exists and how it shapes the outcome of presidential elections.

  • Tip: Encourage students to think critically by asking questions like, “How would the election be different if the popular vote decided the winner?”

Check out these Electoral College and civics-related resources! Click on each picture to learn more.

kirsten hammond

Kirsten is a former 3rd and 5th grade teacher who loves helping upper elementary teachers by creating resources and sharing ideas that are engaging, research-based, and TEKS-aligned. She is a work-from-home mama of 3 rambunctious little ones and loves running, true crime, and lots of coffee.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *