Question

1. how many electors does each state have in the electoral college?

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1. describe one way that presidential elections have changed over time.

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Explanation:

Question 1

Step 1: Recall the basis of Electoral College representation

The Electoral College is structured such that each state's electoral votes are tied to its representation in Congress. The U.S. Constitution mandates that each state has 2 Senators, regardless of population. The number of Representatives, however, is apportioned based on the state's population (determined by the decennial census) and is capped by law (currently at 435 total Representatives for all states, plus 3 for the District of Columbia, though D.C.'s electors are a more recent addition via the 23rd Amendment).

Step 2: Formulate the number of electors

Since electors are the sum of Senators and Representatives, we use the formula \( \text{Electors} = \text{Senators} + \text{Representatives} \). As Senators per state are always 2, this simplifies to \( \text{Electors} = 2 + \text{Representatives} \). This means larger states (with more people, hence more Representatives) have more electors, while smaller states (fewer people, fewer Representatives) have fewer, but no state has fewer than 3 electors (since even the smallest states have 1 Representative, so \( 2 + 1 = 3 \)).

Question 2

Step 1: Choose a change to focus on (e.g., voting rights expansion)

Let's take the expansion of voting rights. In the early days of the United States, voting was largely restricted to white, male property owners. Over time, constitutional amendments and federal legislation have expanded the franchise:

• The 15th Amendment (1870) prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, aiming to enfranchise African American men. However, Jim Crow laws, literacy tests, and other tactics were used to suppress their vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• The 19th Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote, ending a long - standing exclusion based on gender.
• The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, in part due to the argument that if 18 - year - olds could be drafted to fight in wars, they should be able to vote.

Step 2: Explain the significance of this change

This expansion has made presidential elections more representative of the entire population. As more groups gained the right to vote, candidates have had to adjust their campaign strategies to appeal to a broader electorate. For example, political parties and campaigns now have to consider the interests and concerns of women, minority groups, and younger voters in a way that was not necessary when the franchise was more restricted. Additionally, the methods of campaigning have also changed: from the early days of stump speeches and print media to the use of radio, then television (e.g., the first televised presidential debate in 1960 between Kennedy and Nixon), and now social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok to reach voters. These technological advancements in campaigning have also transformed how candidates communicate their messages, raise funds, and mobilize supporters.

Answer:

Each state has a number of electors equal to the sum of its number of U.S. Senators (which is always 2) and its number of U.S. Representatives (which is based on the state's population and can vary). So, the formula for the number of electors for a state is \( \text{Number of Electors} = 2 + \text{Number of Representatives} \). For example, California, with 52 Representatives (as of recent counts), has \( 2 + 52 = 54 \) electors, while a smaller state like Wyoming, with 1 Representative, has \( 2 + 1 = 3 \) electors.