Presidential Election Process
Table of Contents
STEP #1: Primaries and Caucuses
Key Question: What role do primaries and caucuses play in the presidential election process?
Deliberation: Should the order of presidential primaries and caucuses be changed? (9 Clips)
This lesson explores the history of the modern system of primaries and caucuses, the reasons for this structure and various proposals to change the order of these contests. This deliberation has students hear from journalists, experts and candidates in order to answer the question, "Should the order of presidential primaries and caucuses be changed?"
Clip: The History of the Current Primary and Caucus System (3:42)
Bell Ringer: History of the Presidential Primary System (7:08)
Clip: The Current Presidential Primary System (4:36)
Clip: Primary Challengers to Incumbent Presidents (2:03)
Clip: Do Endorsements Matter in Primary Elections? (3:07)
Bell Ringer: How the Iowa Caucuses Work (3:46)
Clip: Changes to the Iowa Caucuses in 2020 (4:20)
Bell Ringer: Benefits of Early Primaries/Caucuses in NH and IA (3:42)
Clip: History of the Iowa Caucuses (8:06)
Bell Ringer: History and Significance of the New Hampshire Primary (9:53)
2024 Primaries and Caucuses
Video Clip: Super Tuesday 2024 Results (14:02)
Clip: Supreme Court Keeps Trump on Primary Ballot (7:36)
Clip: 2024 South Carolina Republican Primary Election (3:07)
Clip: Trump 14th Amendment Election Disqualification Case (4:55)
Clip: 2024 New Hampshire Democratic Primary (4:25)
Clip: Results of the 2024 Iowa Caucuses (2:36)
Bell Ringer: The Iowa Caucuses (3 Clips)
Video Clip: DNC Revises 2024 Primary Schedule (7:31)
2024 Candidate Campaign Suspensions and Endorsements
Clip: Gov. Ron DeSantis Drops Presidential Bid & Endorses Donald Trump (4:27) 1/21/24
Clip: Vivek Ramaswamy Suspends Campaign & Endorses Donald Trump (3:11) 1/15/24
Clip: Gov. Doug Burgum Endorses Donald Trump (3:02) 1/14/24
Culminating Assessment: Respond to four of the following questions:
What is a presidential caucus? How is it different from a primary?
Describe the atmosphere at the Democratic and Republican caucus sites. Explain how the Democratic caucus works versus the Republican caucus.
What is "viability"? How does this affect the lower-tiered Democratic candidates? How does this affect the top-tiered Democratic candidates?
Why do Iowa & New Hampshire receive a lot of attention? How does it impact the rest of the primary elections?
Why do candidates spend a substantial amount of time and campaign funds in the first primaries/caucuses?
Why do campaigns gain or lose momentum during the primary season?
Would you consider this method of choosing the party's nominee 'democratic'? Why or why not?
Choose one of the minor parties and create a political poster that represents their platform.
STEP #2: Vice President Selection
Key Question: Why is the selection of a vice presidential candidate important in the presidential election process?
Clip: Importance of Vice President Selection (2:29)
Clip: Process of Selecting a Vice President (1:47)
Bell Ringer: The Role of the Vice President (6:34)
2024 Vice Presidential Candidates
A comparison of the vice presidential candidates will be listed here once the candidates are selected.
Culminating Assessment: After watching the videos, answer the following questions:
What must a presidential candidate consider when selecting a vice presidential candidate?
Describe the process of selecting a vice-president.
What qualities do presidential candidates typically look for in a running mate?
What challenges might confront vice presidential candidates?
STEP #3: National Party Conventions
Key Question: What is the role of National Conventions in the presidential election process, and what goes into planning a convention?
Lesson: 2024 Republican and Democratic National Conventions (2 Clips)
Using clips from the 2024 party conventions, this lesson has students compare the speeches given at each party’s convention, develop summaries of the messaging and priorities of each party, and evaluate the effectiveness of each party’s message.
Republican National Convention (July 15-18, 2024 in Milwaukee)
Live coverage of the RNC can be found on the C-SPAN.org Campaign 2024 site as the convention occurs.
Clip: Planning the 2024 Republican National Convention (8:15)
Clip: Previewing the 2024 Republican National Convention (12:43)
Clip: Republican National Committee Elects Chair (2:24)
Democratic National Convention (August 19-22, 2024 in Chicago)
Complete coverage of the DNC can be found on the C-SPAN.org Campaign 2024 site as the convention occurs.
Clip: Planning the 2024 Democratic National Convention (7:14)
History and Significance of Party Conventions
Clip: History of Political Conventions (5:25)
Bell Ringer: The 1968 Democratic Convention (4:06)
Clip: Significance of Party Conventions (4:37)
Convention Planning
Clip: Planning the 2024 Democratic National Convention (7:14)
Clip: Planning the 2024 Republican National Convention (8:15)
Bell Ringer: The Purpose and Format of the 2020 National Party Conventions (3:02)
Clip: What the 2020 Democratic National Convention will Look Like (2:03)
Clip: President Trump Cancels 2020 Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida (1:54)
Clip: Pledged & Superdelegates (5:59)
Clip: DNC: Superdelegates (10:10)
Historical Convention Speeches
Clip: 2012 Mitt Romney Republican Party Acceptance Speech (40:17)
Clip: 1980 Senator Edward Kennedy Convention Speech (2:48)
Culminating Assessment: After watching the videos, answer the following questions:
What role(s) do national conventions serve in the election process?
Describe how national conventions are planned and organized.
How have national conventions changed over time?
STEP #4: Presidential Debates
Key Question: How do presidential debates impact elections?
Bell Ringer: Moderators for Presidential Debates (5:55)
Bell Ringer: The Reasons for Debates in Campaigns (3:04)
Bell Ringer: The Purpose of Town Hall Debates (5:24)
Bell Ringer: The Significance of Presidential Debates (3:46)
Bell Ringer: Do debates matter in elections? (4:28)
Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Debates
Lesson: Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Debates (2 Clips)
Lesson: 2024 Presidential Debate Viewing Guides (1 Clip)
Debate Viewing Guides:
Debate Analysis by Topic/Issue (Google Doc)
Presidential Debate Rubric (Google Doc)
Presidential Debate BINGO (Google Doc)
Analyzing Modes of Persuasion (Ethos, Logos & Pathos) (Google Doc)
Debate Analysis by Category (Google Doc)
Culminating Assessment: After watching the videos, answer the following questions:
What role(s) do debates serve in the election process?
How are debates organized and orchestrated?
STEP #5: Voting and Election Night
Key Question: How do state laws relating to voting impact election results?
Lesson: Predicting the 2020 Presidential Election (10 Clips)
Stay tuned for a new lesson for Election Night 2024.
In this lesson, students will view video clips highlighting competitive states in the 2020 presidential race. Using information from these video clips and polling data, students will make predictions for each swing state and use an interactive electoral college map to determine which candidate will win the 270 electoral votes needed to become president.
Lesson: Election Night 2020: What to Expect (5 Clips)
Stay tuned for a new lesson for Election Night 2024.
This lesson has students hear from experts and election officials discussing how states process ballots and what people should expect on election night. Using this information, students will develop a list of reminders, suggestions and advice to use as they watch election night coverage.
Lesson: 2020 Election Night: Viewing Guides and Activities (1 Clip)
Stay tuned for a new lesson for Election Night 2024.
This lesson provides several activities for students to help them understand coverage of election night as they watch on November 3, 2020. Teachers can choose to have students view election night coverage while taking notes, mapping the electoral votes as they come in, playing a vocabulary BINGO game, evaluating election night speeches or comparing news networks’ coverage of election night.
Voting Resources
Clip: The Right to Vote and the Constitution (3:29)
Clip: Problems with Voter ID Laws (4:02)
Clip: Youth Voter Turnout (1:57)
Clip: Efforts to Increase Youth Voter Turnout (7:06)
Bell Ringer: The Constitutional Foundation for State Voting Laws (2:41)
Bell Ringer: The History of Mail-In and Absentee Voting (3:16)
Lesson: Why Do Americans Not Vote in Elections? (8 Clips)
Lesson: Should States Shift to Mail-In Voting during the Coronavirus Pandemic? (8 Clips)
Lesson: State Voting and Registration Laws (10 Clips)
Lesson: Should the voting age be lowered to 16? (9 Clips)
Lesson: Voting Discrimination and the Effects of Shelby County v. Holder (8 Clips)
Culminating Assessment: After watching the videos, answer the following questions:
What laws and policies govern the voting process?
Why is it important to vote?
STEP #6: Post-Election Speeches
Campaign 2024 post-election speeches will be listed here as they occur.
STEP #7: Counting Ballots and Certifying Results
Clip: The Process for States Certifying Election Results (4:39)
Clip: Elections and the Rule of Law (4:12)
Clip: Vote Counting at the State Level (2:06)
STEP #8: The Electoral College
Key Question: How does the Electoral College work and what are benefits and drawback of using this system to elect a president?
Lesson: Electoral College Map Virtual Scavenger Hunt (1 Clip)
Clip: The History of the Presidential Election Process and Political Parties (7:40)
Clip: The History of the Electoral College (4:47)
Clip: Historical Role of the Electoral College (2:51)
Clip: Different Winners of the Popular Vote and Electoral College Vote (2:01)
Bell Ringer: The 12th Amendment and the Election of 1800 (3:06)
Bell Ringer: The Significance of the Popular Vote in Presidential Elections (2:42)
Bell Ringer: Electors in the Electoral College (4:06)
Bell Ringer: Faithless Electors (2:43)
Bell Ringer: Senate Historian Don Ritchie on Faithless Electors (0:54)
Bell Ringer: Electoral College Certification Procedure (5 Clips)
2024 Electoral College Process
Clip: The Process for Counting Electoral Votes in Congress (7:06)
Clip: The Process for States Certifying Election Results (4:33)
Clip: The Timeline for Deciding Electoral Votes (3:17)
Clip: The Safe Harbor Deadline for Appointing Electors (4:04)
Clip: The Counting of Electoral Votes in Congress (1:40)
Debating the Electoral College
Deliberation: Should the Electoral College Be Reformed? (10 Clips)
Every four years the American people go to the polls to vote for president. However, the American people do not vote directly for president; instead, it is the fifty states, plus Washington, DC, that directly elect the president. This is due to the Electoral College, adopted by the Framers at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 as a compromise between large and small states. This deliberation has students explore the origins of the Electoral College and evaluate arguments for and against it being reformed.
Arguments for the Electoral College
Clip: The Importance of the Electoral College (:48)
Clip: Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) on the Electoral College (2:32)
Clip: Electoral College and Presidential Visits (2:24)
Arguments Against the Electoral College
Clip: Electoral College Origins and Flaws (4:48)
Clip: Negative Aspects of Electoral College (4:03)
Bell Ringer: National Popular Vote and Presidential Elections (3:18)
Culminating Assessment: After watching the videos, answer the following questions:
Why did the Founding Fathers adopt the system of the Electoral College to elect the United States President?
Explain the pros and cons of the Electoral College system.
Do you think that we should keep the Electoral College, switch to a popular vote, or create a new system? Explain your position citing specific reasons.
STEP #9: Presidential Transitions
Lesson: Learning from Previous Presidential Transitions (5 Clips)
This lesson has students explore the challenges that incoming administrations face during presidential transitions by hearing from historians and from White House staff. With this information, students will develop a list of best practices that can be used during these transitions.
Bell Ringer: Laws Relating to Presidential Transitions (4:39)
Bell Ringer: Presidential Transitions after an Election (4:59)
Clip: White House Transitions (3:18)
STEP #10: Inauguration
Key Question: What is the significance of presidential inaugurations and how does the event reflect the president's priorities and personality?
Clip: Presidential Inauguration History and Artifacts (8:14)
Bell Ringer: Inauguration History: The Role of the First Lady (8:33)
January 20th, 2025 Inaugration
Lesson Plan: 2021 Joe Biden Inauguration Viewing Guides
Lesson Plan: President Biden’s Plans for His Administration
Lesson Plan: Researching the Biden Administration Cabinet Nominees
Resources related to the presidential inauguration will be added as they become available.
Past Inaugurations
Lesson: Analyzing Historical Presidential Inaugural Addresses (9 Clips)
This lesson provides multiple options and activities for students to engage with and analyze presidential inaugural addresses starting with Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration in 1981.
Clip: President Trump 2017 Inaugural Address (17:33)
Clip: President Obama 2013 Inaugural Address (18:36)
Clip: President Obama 2009 Inaugural Address (18:39)
Clip: President George W. Bush 2005 Inaugural Address (21:35)
Clip: President George W. Bush 2001 Inaugural Address (14:59)
Clip: President Clinton 1997 Inaugural Address (22:12)
Clip: President Clinton 1993 Inaugural Address (14:15)
Clip: President George H. W. Bush 1989 Inaugural Address (20:30)
Clip: President Reagan 1985 Inaugural Address (20:48)
Clip: President Reagan 1981 Inaugural Address (20:14)
Bell Ringer: 1933 Inauguration Period (3:53)
Bell Ringer: Franklin Roosevelt’s 1933 Inauguration (2:15)
Bell Ringer: The Inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt (4:54)
Bell Ringer: Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Speech (3:14)