Name: ___________________________ Article of the Week #4– 10/30/12
Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read. Your notes should include: - Comments that show you understand the article (summary statement, main ideas, etc…)
- Questions that show what you are wondering about as you read - Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion
- Other observations, comments, and thoughts
As you read also use your Active Reading Marks and write on the article to show your thoughts and feelings.
Election 2012: The Nightmare Scenarios
The election result nobody wants is looking more likely by the day.
The election result nobody wants is looking more likely by the day, said David Jackson in USA Today. As it stands now, Mitt Romney and President Obama are locked in a virtual tie at 47 percent each, according to the RealClearPolitics.com poll of polls. But Obama still has a narrow lead in several crucial swing states—including New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Ohio—giving him a better chance of assembling the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. If that split holds until Election Day, Romney could win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, and the presidency, to Obama. “Please, whatever happens Nov. 6, not that,” said Jay Bookman in AJC.com. It was bad enough in 2000, when the Supreme Court had to decide the election in Bush v. Gore. But America is now an even more partisan and divided nation, with momentous budgetary, tax, and foreign-policy decisions to make. “We need a clear-cut winner in the White House, not somebody installed there thanks to a quirky Electoral College.”
Actually, we could be in for something even worse than a repeat of 2000, said Eliot Spitzer in Slate.com. If the vote is very close, it’s entirely possible that the Electoral College tally will be tied, with Obama and Romney each getting 269 votes. “If that
happens, America would get a complicated, tension-filled lesson in the Constitution.” The House of Representatives would vote to determine who wins, with the states getting just one vote apiece. So New York’s 29 members would get one vote, the same as North Dakota’s single congressman. That would mean a Romney win, as “the little-populated red states outnumber the highly populated blue states.” The constitutional craziness doesn’t end there, said Philip Klein in WashingtonExaminer.com. In the event of an Electoral College tie, the Senate gets to pick the vice president. That means if Democrats hold on to their Senate majority, Joe Biden would be Romney’s vice president. How’s that for fun?
Only one good result could come from another electoral disaster, said Garrett Epps in TheAtlantic.com. Americans might finally “fix our electoral system so this won’t happen over and over.” Abolishing the Electoral College, and ushering in a true democracy, is the only logical response. Sadly, small states will object to any change that would diminish their outsized power. So election reform “is likely to remain a dream, even if Election Day 2012 turns into a nightmare.”
Comprehension Questions – You may answer in phrases or full sentences
1. What happened in the 2000 Presidential Election? Explain, with details.
2. In the end, who ultimately decided the 2000 Presidential Election?
3. According to the article, who (what part of government) decides the result of the election if there is a tie?
Answer the following questions in one or more sentences.
- Although it is unlikely, describe the process for electing a President and Vice President if there is a Electoral College tie.
Directions: Find at LEAST five (5) people who are of the legal voting age (18) – you cannot ask a social studies teacher at STMA – and ask them the questions below about the process of how we elect a President. Fill in the chart on the next page as you ask them. Finally, write a summary of your findings in the space below.
Question 1: True or False, when we vote for a President we do it based on a popular vote, and whoever gets the most votes is the winner. (T or F)
Question 2: Number 1 is actually false; we use a system called the Electoral College. Can you please explain the Electoral College to me? (Note: Answers might be slightly different, but you can be the judge and see how well they answer…Totally correct, mostly correct, not really correct, etc…)
Question 3: What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College with each candidate receiving 269 Electoral Votes? Who decides then? (Note: Answers might be slightly different, but you can be the judge and see how well they answer…Totally correct, mostly correct, not really correct, etc…)
Question 4: Do you support keeping the Electoral College or changing it to a popular vote? (EC or PV)
Name Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Notes
Ex Joe Bagofdoughnuts F Perfect! Totally corerect The HoR votes, 1 vote/state, Senate selects VP PV Dude is smart!!!