43-1 (08)
release dates: October 25-31
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Go dot to dot and color this famous home.
© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
BETTY DEBNAM – Founding Editor and Editor at Large
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
Nov. 4 Is Decision Day
Election Day 2008
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, American voters will choose
a new president and vice president of the United
States.
Candidates for president and vice president
from one political party run as a team. We call the
team a ticket.
Republican ticket
Democratic ticket
John McCain and
Sarah Palin
Barack Obama and
Joseph Biden
Electoral votes for each state and the District of Columbia
Alabama . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
California . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecticut . . . . . . . . . 7
Delaware . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
District of Columbia . . 3
Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The rules for electing a new president are laid
out in the U.S. Constitution. Each state gets a
certain number of votes, called electoral votes.
Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . 10
Massachusetts . . . . . 12
Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . 10
Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . 6
Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Montana . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
New Hampshire . . . . . . 4
New Jersey . . . . . . . . 15
New Mexico . . . . . . . . . 5
New York . . . . . . . . . . 31
North Carolina . . . . . . 15
North Dakota . . . . . . . . 3
Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . 7
Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pennsylvania . . . . . 21
Rhode Island . . . . . . 4
South Carolina . . . . . 8
South Dakota . . . . . 3
Tennessee . . . . . . . . 11
Texas . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Washington . . . . . . . 11
West Virginia . . . . . . . 5
Wisconsin . . . . . . . . 10
Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . 3
TOTAL
. . . . . . . . . 538
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
NH
Electoral votes for each
state are based on how the
people in that state voted in
the election.
The number of electoral
votes that each state gets is
based on how many senators
and representatives the state
has in the U.S. Congress.
For example:
270 ELECTORAL
VOTES ARE
NEEDED
TO WIN.
MA
RI
VT
CT
NJ
DE
MD
DC
Site to see:
www.archives.gov/
federal-register/
electoral-college
New Mexico has
2 senators
+ 3 representatives
5 electoral votes
Write the number of votes for each state on the map. After the election, color in the states that voted
Republican with one color. Use a different color for the states that voted Democrat.
TM
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Quick ’n’ Easy Baked Beans
You’ll need:
• 1 (16-ounce) can baked beans
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
What to do:
1. Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized glass baking dish.
2. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.
3. Stir well to mix flavors.
Makes 4 servings.
*You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
photo by Jon McKee, Nickelodeon
Meet Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove stars as Carly in the
Nickelodeon TV/Web site series “iCarly” and
sings on the iCarly CD. She is working on her
own album, writing some of her own songs.
Miranda has been in several TV shows,
including “Drake and Josh.” She has also
appeared in movies such as “School of Rock”
and “Yours, Mine and Ours.”
Miranda, 15, was born in Los Angeles. When she was 3, an
agent saw her dancing and having fun in a restaurant, and he
signed her up for a commercial. She began taking singing
lessons when she was 4. She went to special schools for young
performers. She took dancing lessons and performed in school
plays and in the school chorus.
Miranda enjoys fencing, horseback riding and playing the
guitar.
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Supersport: Rey Maualuga
Height: 6-2 Birthdate: 1-1-87
Weight: 260 Hometown: Eureka, Calif.
Amid the maze of muscle men on the football field, it’s
easy to spot Rey Maualuga. He’s the Southern Cal
linebacker flying around, making tackles and creating
mayhem. Opponents are always wary of him, which is the
way he likes it.
“I want to become the player the offense fears coming into the game,”
the Trojans’ All-American says on the Southern Cal Web site.
Maualuga, a prime contender for the Butkus Award that is presented
to the nation’s top linebacker, simply plays with intensity. He still draws
inspiration from his late father, Talatonu, who died before the 2005 BCS
title game.
Now Maualuga, a senior sociology major, wants to keep making big
hits and help the No. 1-ranked Trojans win another national
championship.
Who’s Running for Office?
Meet the Democratic candidates
Sen. Barack Obama is 47 years old.
He was born and grew up in Hawaii.
His wife, Michelle Obama, was
born and raised in Chicago. She works
for the University of Chicago.
The Obamas have two children,
Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7. Their home is
in Chicago.
Sen. Joe Biden is 65 years old. He
was born in Scranton, Pa., and moved
to Delaware when he was a child. His
first wife and his daughter were killed
in a car accident in 1971.
In 1977 he married again. Jill Biden is
a teacher. They have two sons, Beau and
Hunter, and a daughter, Ashley.
Meet the Republican candidates
Michelle
Obama
Sen. John McCain has served in the
U.S. Senate since 1987. He is 72 years
old. He was born in the Panama Canal
Zone, a U.S. territory within Panama.
McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain, was
born in Phoenix. She is the chairman
of her family’s company. The McCains
have seven children, from 17 to 49
years old.
Cindy
McCain
Jill Biden
Todd Palin
Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is 44
years old. She was born in Idaho but
has lived in Alaska most of her life.
Her husband, Todd Palin, is a
fisherman and an oil production
worker. They have five children, aged
6 months to 19 years.
Senate
House of Representatives
Election Day includes voting for
other offices besides the president
and vice president.
United States senators serve for
six years. There are no term limits,
or rules about how many times a
senator can be re-elected.
This year, 35 out of 100 Senate
seats are up for election.
In the United States House of
Representatives, all 435 seats are up
for election this year.
Representatives serve in the
House for two years. There are no
term limits.
The number of representatives for
each state is based on the population
of the state.
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
A Mini Guide to Elections
ELECTING A PRESIDENT
IS A COMPLICATED
PROCESS. ASK YOUR
TEACHER OR YOUR
FAMILY TO READ THIS
ISSUE WITH YOU TO HELP
YOU UNDERSTAND IT.
Electoral votes
Counting electoral votes
photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol
The Electoral College method of electing our
president was set up by the Constitution
more than 200 years ago. The writers had a
hard time deciding how our president and
vice president should be chosen.
Look through your newspaper for articles
about the upcoming election.
The political parties for each state
choose a set of electors. The number of
electors is equal to the state’s number of
But there are still steps that must be
members of Congress. For example:
taken to make the winner official.
South Carolina has
In December, the winning electors
2 senators
from each state
STATE
CAPITAL
+ 6 representatives
meet in their
8 electors for each party
state capitals
Eight Republican electors from South
and cast their
Carolina would be expected to vote for
votes.
the Republican ticket. The eight
These electoral votes are put into
Democratic electors would be expected
sealed envelopes
to vote for the Democratic ticket.
The President
and sent to the
of the U.S. Senate
Other political parties and
Building
president of the U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20510
independent candidates choose a set of
Senate. On Jan. 6,
electors, too.
he or she opens the envelopes. The
results are read before a meeting of the
Who votes?
U.S. Senate and House of
American citizens who are 18 years
Representatives.
old or older vote on the first Tuesday
If there is a tie, or if no one gets as
after the first Monday in November. The
many as 270 electoral votes, the House
winning
of Representatives must decide who will
ticket in
be the president. Each state has only
each state
one vote in this situation.
gets all of
This has happened just twice in our
that state’s
nation’s history, in 1800 and 1824.
electoral
votes (except
Site to see:
for in Maine and Nebraska). We call
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government:
this winner takes all.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3In Maine and Nebraska, the electoral 5/election/president.html
vote may be split among the
Next week, The Mini Page is about
candidates.
understanding money.
The Mini Page Staff
Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large
Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor
Larry: What is a chauffeur’s favorite
beverage?
Lisa: Limo-nade!
Leslie: What player on a baseball team pours
lemonade for his team?
Len: The pitcher!
Lara: What happens if you squirt a lemon at
your cat?
Lionel: You get a sourpuss!
Electors
Voting is an extremely important
duty that adults perform as citizens of
the United States. But we don’t directly
elect our presidents. Instead, the U.S.
uses the Electoral College method.
The Electoral College isn’t a
university where people go to study.
Another meaning of college is a group
that meets and has special duties.
The Electoral College has the duty of
choosing the president of the U.S. Its
vote is based on how the people in each
state voted.
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
We elect our president and vice
We usually know on election night
president by electoral votes. There are who the winner is. We can figure it out
538 total votes for the 50 states and the by counting electoral votes.
District of Columbia. This number is
based on the total number of members
of the U.S. Congress.
Senators ..........................100
Representatives .............435
From D.C. ........................ 3
538
The Electoral College
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Lucy Lien - Associate Editor
Wendy Daley - Artist
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
Brown
Basset ws
TRY ’N
The Ned’s
FIND
Houn
Words that remind us of elections are hidden in the block below. Some words
are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you
can find: PRESIDENT, ELECT, DAY, CITIZEN, VICE, TICKET, OBAMA,
ELECTORAL, PALIN, SENATOR, REPRESENTATIVE, MCCAIN, STATE,
BIDEN, TERM, LIMIT, COLLEGE, ELECTOR, CANDIDATE, REPUBLICAN,
DEMOCRAT, VOTE.
R E P R E S E N T A T I V E C
S L R Y A D S E N A T O R Y I
WHO DO YOU
THINK WILL
T E E L E C T O R T E K C I T
WIN?
A C S V I C E C K P J L T B I
T T I C E T O B A M A B I I Z
E O D L O M C C A I N L M D E
W R E V E E G E L L O C I E N
C A N D I D A T E R M Q L N X
Z L T H D N A C I L B U P E R
TM
Election 2008
from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate
Mini Spy . . .
TM
Mini Spy has been elected president of her homeroom! See if you
can find: • number 3 • ice skate • word MINI • lima bean
• shoe
• candle
• key • leaf
• toothbrush
• letter C
• heart
• baseball
• ruler
• letter T
• football
• ant • snail
• paintbrush
• letter H