The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: Elections
One of the greatest rights of the American People is the right to vote for the candidate of their choice. Take a look at how this process works at this resource. Information is provided on Election Day, Voting, Election of the President,...
US National Archives
Nara: u.s. Electoral College: u.s. Electoral College
National Archives and Records Administration home page on the U.S. Electoral College. Contains details on historic voting patterns as well as technical details on procedures.
US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: Constitution of the United States
Comprehensive overview of the U.S. Constitution. Places the Constitution in context with two other founding charters of American democracy and government, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Includes access to digital...
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Election Process
Ben's Guide is a fun way to present U.S. Government to students grades K-12. This site presents a series of pages explaining the Presidential, senate and Representative election process. Links to related sites are available.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Constitutional Compromises: The Electoral College
This resource from Khan Academy provides a lesson about the Electoral College. This lesson is intended for students taking high school or college level American Government and Civics courses, including the AP Government course.
This Nation
This nation.com: Electoral College
A textbook excerpt from ThisNation.com that includes a useful chart of electoral votes by state. Clickable links to pertinent articles and amendments of the Constitution are another plus.
BBC
Bbc News: How to Elect a Us President
Electing a US President can be a political marathon. The British Broadcasting Company helps make this process easier to understand by explaining it in key stages.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: The Electoral College
Political parties want winner-take-all elections for electors. This means that the state that receives the most popular votes wins all the state's electoral votes. All the states except Maine use this winner-take-all system today.
Then Again
Then Again: Web Chron: The Compromise of 1877
An explanation of the need for a compromise in 1877 and a review of Reconstruction overall.
Other
Electoral Vote Calculator
Use this interactive tool for determining the total electoral votes for each party in the next presidential election.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Election of the President & Vice President: Electoral College
Provides information on the Electoral College and how we use this system to elect the President of the U.S. Features links to much more information on the election.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Reform the Electoral College? Two Views From Congress
Two congressmen provide arguments for and against the Electoral College, a system that has been used for over 200 years to elect the president of the United States. Contains links to more information.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Electing the President and Vice President
Check out this interactive timeline of the history of electing the President and Vice President of the United States.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Voting Rights
This website contains an interactive timeline about the history of voting rights in the United States.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Annotation 2: Article Ii: Electoral College
Article explaining how the electoral college system works in American politics.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Hayes Tilden Election
Read about the contested election of 1876. Was it decided behind close doors and with an understanding that Reconstruction would be ended in the South? Were votes fraudulently thrown out?
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Twelfth Amendment
This resource reviews the text of the Twelfth Amendment and related annotations.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Close Calls in u.s. Election History (2016)
Democracy and power to the people are celebrated as key American values, but sometimes democracy is more complicated than one might think. This informational text investigates some close calls in U.S. elections and what caused their...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: Twelfth Amendment
Primary source text of the 12th Amendment accompanied by an explanation of the history and meaning. Links to resources for further study of this Constitutional Amendment.
National Geographic
National Geographic: The Electoral College
Discover how the United States elects its president by using an Electoral College. A map shows how the Electoral College's 538 members are distributed throughout all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Library of Congress
Loc: Presidential Elections and the Electoral College
This congressional record of the proceedings of the Electoral Commission of 1877 includes primary source documents that give insight into the functions of the electoral college. Includes discussions of vote counting, contested results...
Enchanted Learning
Enchanted Learning: How the President of the United States Is Elected
How is the President of the United States elected? This explanation discusses the role of political parties and conventions, and the unusual role of the electoral college as set-forth by the Constitution.
iCivics
I Civics: Popular v. President
Can the candidate who wins the majority of the popular votes miss out on being president? They can, and it's happened before.
A&E Television
History.com: How the 2000 Election Came Down to a Supreme Court Decision
As Florida's electoral votes became too close to call, controversy ensued over hanging chads, dimpled chads and butterfly bullets. Five hundred thirty-seven votes. That's all that separated Democrat Al Gore and his Republican challenger...