Electoral Votes: The Way Obama Won the Election

A breakdown of the popular vote and the electoral vote and how this resulted in Obama winning the election.

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News & Politics

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• Democrat
• Republican
• Obama
• McCain
• Red
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• Florida
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Electoral
• Vote
• Popular

[GettingtotheTruth2]

We actually live in a republic versus a democracy and that's why we vote for elected officials who vote on bills, etc.

The winner (majority) of the popular vote (where your vote counts towards) wins the electoral vote for the state (except Maine and Nebraska) and then the majority of the electoral vote (270+) wins the presidential election.

The electoral vote was established based upon population (thus California and Texas have more electoral votes than say Montana).

[GettingtotheTruth2]

By the time all the votes are fully counted (absentee,etc) the popular vote win by Obama might top 7million, but the total number of votes won in the battle ground states might be under 50,000 votes which equaled about 35+ electoral votes.

The issue of electoral versus popular vote came into question with Gore/Bush, because Bush won the electoral vote (after the whole FL craziness), but Gore actually won the popular vote--the first time the popular vote winner didn't have the electoral vote.

[sr1215cl]

Proven right there that our votes DON'T matter.

[padude64]

Obama is in trouble now because of Obstruction from the haters! I am awhite and I voted Obama but the asshole right wing assholes hater him because he is black and you news people better get with it!

[jenn1ifer]

O bummer

[MIKESOWELL]

That's not true. In 1876 and in 1888 the national popular vote winner did not win the electoral college.

[realrocky8591]

Agreed. It's impossible for a state's votes to "not count." Especially considering that the election turnout every year is only 55-60% or so max. If more eligible voters showed up, then even the most blue or red states has the potential to swing.

[DONUTBUZZCUT]

obama won the popular vote by 9.5million . Those numbers you looking on cnn are not the final numbers.

[bravesfanforever31]

It was significant what Solidad said-that this country is changing it is not Joe the Plumber. What she is saying is that appealing to the center right white working class with words like "socialism" "redistributor" "diehard liberal" doesn't scare voters away from progressives like Obama.

[NebulizerChi]

Weight it more strictly by population --the least populous states get a disproportionally large share of EC votes (look up "List of US States by Population" @ wikipedia).

I'd also like for EC votes to be awarded by Cong. district (like ME/NE) and weighted by turnout.

The EC works in that it would prevent a regional candidate from getting elected by winning 90+ percent of the vote in one region of the country and zero votes anywhere else --but still winning the nationwide popular vote.

[NebulizerChi]

It's kind of like a tennis match --the winner is the one who wins two out of three (or three of five) *sets*, not who wins the most points or games.

There is no provision in the U.S. Constitution for universal participation in the Presidential vote anyway --it's up to the States, and it so happens that all of them put the race on the ballot; federal or Constitutional law doesn't require it.

I actually like the EC and would like to see it modified slightly...

[NebulizerChi]

I always have to chuckle a bit whenever people start moaning about how their vote "didn't count" if their state voted the other way --and terrific vid collection GttT2.

Take Missouri: if you voted Republican, then your vote "counted" because the Republican won there --but it doesn't matter, because the Democrat won the Electoral College vote nationwide. So when people complain about being "disenfranchised" by the EC system, I wonder whom they're talking about.