Question

Which of the following states have the greatest potential to change the results of a presidential election?

Texas

Arizona

Michigan

Pennsylvania

Question 2 (Multiple Choice Worth 5 points)

The number of a state's electoral votes could change if the

government in the state is ruled in violation of a federal policy

results of a state election are disputed and found to be flawed

president orders additional or fewer electoral votes to the state

state population has a major change compared to other states

points:5

Answer 1

1. Texas

Answer 2

That's a little tricky. Obviously Texas has the most electoral votes, but Texas votes reliably Republican, so its votes are taken for granted by the Republican nominee. They don't even bother campaigning there. Arizona typically votes Republican as well, Michigan typically votes Democratic, so the best answer from the point of view of practicality -- the state that would actually have the greatest possibility to change an election is Pennsylvania, because it has a lot of electoral votes and it sits on the border, sometimes voting Republican, sometimes Democratic. That's what makes it a "battleground" or "swing" state, and candidates spend a great deal of time and energy campaigning there.

The only way the number of a state's electoral votes can change is after re-apportionment, which occurs every 10 years after the Census, because the Constitution fixes the number of electors as equal to the state's representation in Congress. So as the population of the states shifts, the representation shifts (because the Constitution also specifies that the number of House seats must be proportional to the state's population), and so do the electoral votes.

Answer 3

question two is state population has a major change compared to other states