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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

The Electoral College Rules!

Many Americans think that whichever candidate earns the greatest number of individual votes wins the Presidency. Wrong! A group of 538 people, called the Electoral College, chooses the President.

Each state is assigned a number of electoral votes based on its population. That's why states like Texas and Florida, which have larger populations, have more electoral votes than Rhode Island or Wyoming. When a candidate wins the most individual votes in a state, he or she gets all of the state's electoral votes.

A candidate must receive 270 of the 538 total electoral votes in order to win the Presidential election. In 2000, President Bush received 271 electoral votes to defeat Vice President Al Gore. If no candidate gets the most electoral votes, members of the House of Representatives choose the President.

Next: Ready, Set, VOTE!