Listening: How the Electoral College works

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B2 | Listening from video | 11 min

Watch the video (0:15 - 5:05). You can watch more than once, then answer the questions.

What is the Electoral College, as described in the talk?

____ A group of voters chosen by the national government____ A group of people appointed by each state to elect the President____ A school where future presidential candidates are trained

A NUMBER from the video.

Since 1964, every presidential election has had ____ electors in total.

A NUMBER from the video.

The census is carried out every ____ years, so states can gain or lose electoral votes.

If your candidate wins in a state like California, what happens to that state's electoral votes?

____ The candidate gets all of them.____ The candidate gets only half of them.____ They are shared between both candidates.

A NUMBER from the video.

Eight small states together would give a candidate only ____ electoral votes.

A candidate can never become president without winning the popular vote.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

Most Americans want to change the way presidents are elected.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

Why do some people say the system protects small states?

____ Small states get more electoral votes per person than large states.____ Small states can choose the date of the election.____ A candidate cannot ignore them because every electoral vote counts in a close race.

What makes Ohio and Florida swing states?

____ They always vote for the same party.____ They have the smallest populations in the country.____ They gave votes to each party twice in four elections.

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