Ballot Boxing
How do the rules of an election affect who wins?
Students will
- Calculate the percentages of the electoral and popular vote won by each major candidate in 2012 and 2000
- Investigate the “spoiler effect” Nader may or may not have had on the 2000 election
- Tabulate votes under alternative voting systems
- Discuss possible improvements to the current way we vote for our leaders
Before you begin
Students should know how to calculate percents, including the ability to convert between decimals and percents (for example, 0.511 = 51.1%). The second half of the lesson requires good reasoning skills more than anything else, as the calculations are fairly straightforward. Also, negative numbers make an appearance towards the end of the lesson, so experience with addition of integers will be helpful.Common Core Standards
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices
Downloads
Shoutouts
C. G. P. Grey, United States of America, Electoral College, Democratic Party, Republican Party
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