Can One State
Make a Difference?
By: Jackie Benz
Updated on June 2004
Questions,  Suggestions or Feedback?   email me
The Task
    The year 2000 is an important year in the United States.  This is the year that we choose a new president.  Bill Clinton has served for eight years now, and cannot run again.  But how did President Clinton get elected?  In this year, the year of a presidential election, we are looking at two major figures to become our next president: Al Gore with running mate Joseph Lieberman, and George Bush Jr. with running mate Dick Cheney.
    In this task, you will look at the electoral college; its history, and how it effects a president's appointment into office. You will solve mathematical problems using information about the electoral college. You will examine what Bush and Gore need to do in order to win the election.
    In completing this task, you will need to explain all of your answers in complete sentences or paragraphs using a wordprocessing program such as Microsoft Word or ClarisWorks.


Your Resources
You may want to use the websites on the next page in order to answer the following questions.

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The Process
Task #1
What is the electoral college?  What is its importance in the United States?

Task #2
Who lost an election because of the electoral college?  How many years ago did this election occur? How did you  find your answer?  Explain the process and the resources (sites) you used.

Task #3
Predict which four states have the most electoral votes.  Justify your prediction.

Task #4
A)Now, check your prediction.  Which four states have the most electoral votes?  Was your prediction right or wrong?

B)How would politicians use this information?

Task #5
A) How many votes does a candidate need in order to win the election?
B) What percentage is this?
C)  Explain how you found your answer to part B.

Task #6
Would it be possible for a candidate to win if he only won the top four states?  Why or why not?

Task #7
A)  Use the Electronic Vote Calculator to find which year had the smallest difference between the number of votes cast. By how many votes did the parties differ?
B)  Use the Electronic Vote Calculator to find which year had the largest difference between the number of votes cast.  By how many votes did the parties differ?

Task #8
Given the following scenario, make a graph of the results showing how many votes each political party has earned so far. (A bar graph would be best in this case.) and answer the questions that follow.

It is Election Day, 2000.  Only a few states have turned in their results.
The results of the election are in the table below.
 

GORE
BUSH
INDEPENDENT
New York Maine Wisconsin
Pennsylvania New Hampshire  
Michigan Vermont  
Indiana West Virginia  
Ohio Kentucky  
Tennessee South Carolina  
Virginia Georgia  
North Carolina Alabama  
Florida Mississippi  
Washington D.C.    
Maryland    
Delaware    
Connecticut    
Massachusetts    
Rhode Island    

A.  Which candidate is winning the election so far?  What evidence supports your answer?
B.  Has any party won the election given the above information? How do you know?
C.  How many additional votes will each party need in order to win the election?
 
 

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Conclusion:
When election time  approaches, remember that there is just more than just going to the poles to place a vote. As the candidates think about winning the election, they also have to think about the strategy they are going to use in reaching this goal. The candidates use  a lot of math in reaching their goal.  They have to analyze the results from various poles to help focus their efforts.  Now that you know about the Electoral College, follow this year's election on Election Day.  What patterns do you see as the candidates win their states?  Listen to what each candidate says in their campaign.  Who is your favorite candidate?   You may also want to think about how other candidates such as Ralph Nater and Pat Buchanan effect the Bush/Gore race.
 
 


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Click here to see how you will be graded on this activity.

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