Landslide
Critical Analysis
In 2020, in how many states was the presidential election won by a landslide (over 15 points)?
Describe one trend (change over time) you see in the data.
What is the best explanation for this change?
What is one consequence of this change?
Explain whether this is good news or bad news for American democracy (a system in which people have equal power).
If the trend in the data continues, what number of states will have landslide presidential election results in 2028?
Do these state landslide victories translate to nationwide landslide presidential victories?
When our states are so divided (66% of Vermont voted Biden, 70% of Wyoming voted Trump) explain how united the United States is.
Because the landslide presidential victories by state are not all for the same candidate (see the example above*) people in very blue states and very red states are unlikely to agree. How has this impacted the post-election period in this year’s election?
How do you think the data from the chart will impact President-elect Biden’s power once he becomes President on January 20, 2021?
Describe how these landslide state victories impact House and Senate races?
Wait a sec. According to the chart, the number of states with landslide victories in 1992 decreased! Why do you think this was?
In the past 20 years, the loser of the popular vote has won the electoral college vote, and thus the presidency, twice. One of the guiding principles of politics is majority rule. As Jesse Wegman writes, “From the time we are old enough to count, we are taught that the bigger number beats the smaller number. It is the essence of fairness. It dictates outcomes in all areas of life, from politics to sports to cattle auctions.” In how many sports does the team that scores the least number of points win?
In the 2020 election, Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by over 7 million votes (81 million to 74 million). If Trump had received just 0.7 percentage points more of the vote in every state, he still would have lost the popular vote badly. Yet he would have won exactly 269 electoral votes, causing an Electoral College tie that Congress likely would have decided in his favor. Today, the Electoral College is more likely to deny victory to the winner of the popular vote than in the past. How democratic is the electoral college?
Learning Extension
Read this amazing and succinct essay on majority rule.
Action Extension
Research the 2020 presidential election results for your state and determine if your state was won by ore than 15%. Share the state result in class or online.
