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Electoral votes are based on the state's population. This is why states with a lot of land can have fewer electoral votes than smaller states.
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Why every state must have electoral votes?
No, every state has at least three electoral votes
If a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a given state does this mean that the electoral votes go to that candidate?
Yes, however there are a few exceptions. The first is that 2 states, Maine and Nebraska chose their electors by congressional district. In these states it's possible that there could be a split vote. This just happened in the 2008 election - Barack Obama had the most votes in the Omaha (and area) district and Nebraska split its electoral vote with McCain getting 4 and Obama 1. The other exception are "faithless electors" ... those who do not cast their vote in the electoral college for the winner of the state, even though they are pledged to do so. There have not been many of these, and in some states, this may be an action that is subject to legal prosecution.
What is it called when a candidate wins the popular vote but loses the electoral vote?
You see, there are also Electoral Votes involved in elections. Each state has a set amount of Electoral Votes; the amount depends on how many counties the state has. When the popular vote is done, it is determined who got the most votes in each state. Once that is determined, ALL of the state's Electoral Votes go to that candidate. After a certain amount of Electoral Votes, a candidate an automatically win the election. In case that was too confusing, here's an example. In the last election, more of Oregon's residents voted for Obama than for McCain. So, all their Electoral College votes (I believe they have 5) went to Obama. There's more about Electoral Votes (they don't always go to the right candidate, for example), but that's the gist of it.
What are the three main weaknesses of the electoral college system?
1. NOT a direct representation of the Populous (of who the population would want to vote for), this is because those people in the electoral college can VOTE in ANY WAY THEY WANT, They DO NOT have to Vote according to the preferences of those whom they represent. 2. Can give certain populations, specifically States, and incorrect allotment of representation/power if the U.S. Census Data regarding Population is Incorrect (electoral college votes are determined by population by region -- Counties and States). If those numbers are wrong -- too many or too few votes may be given to a given region and/or State.
How does the electoral college function?
Electoral votes in the U.S. Electoral College determine the President and Vice President of the United States. Every state and the District of Columbia are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538. The electors in each state are elected in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state. Electors meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the District) on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, at which time they cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for president and vice-president. Each state then forwards the election results to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Archivist of the United States, the state's Secretary of State, and the chief judge of the United States district court where those electors met. A joint session of Congress takes place on January 6 in the calendar year immediately following the meetings of the presidential electors. The electoral votes are officially tabulated at the joint session of Congress and the winner of the election is officially declared.
Which is more important electoral votes of popular votes?
Candidates need a majority of electoral votes to be elected. Because most states* award all of their electoral votes to the top candidate in that state, candidates do not need to win the national popular vote to win a majority of electoral votes. The result is that winning a few large population states (called swing states), even by a tiny margin, can guarantee election to the presidency. In 1876, 1888, and 2000, the winning candidate did not get the most popular votes nationwide.
If a candidate claims 80 percent of the popular vote in a state then how many electoral votes will heshe receive?
It depends on the state. Most have a winner-take-all approach, where whoever wins gets all the electoral votes. A few states can split their electoral votes, depending on who wins in each district.
How does a politician running for US President win electoral votes?
A politician running for US President wins electoral votes by securing a majority of electoral college votes (270 out of 538). Each state is allocated a certain number of electoral votes based on its representation in Congress. Winning a state's popular vote typically results in winning all of its electoral votes, except in a few states. Therefore, a candidate needs to campaign and win the popular vote in key battleground states to accumulate enough electoral votes to win the election.
Who are the electoral voters?
The electoral college is chosen by the voters of the individual states. When one votes during the general election, when they choose their vote for president, they are actually casting their vote for the electors of the state. The college then generally (with few exceptions through history) votes for whomever won the mojority of the votes for that state.
How many votes does Obama and Romney have?
Although there are still a few votes that have not been counted yet, the total we have is 62,615,406 votes (51%) for President Obama, with 332 electoral votes; and 59,142,004 (48%) votes for Mitt Romney, with 206 electoral votes.
How many votes did Obama get versus Romney?
Although there are still a few votes that have not been counted yet, the total we have is 62,615,406 votes (51%) for President Obama, with 332 electoral votes; and 59,142,004 (48%) votes for Mitt Romney, with 206 electoral votes.
Are all states of equal importance under the electoral college system?
No. Not only do electoral votes have an enormous disparity in the number of voters represented, but the awarding of all of a state's votes to one candidate means that votes for other candidates become effectively moot. The "winner take all" system makes the states with more electoral votes more important in the election. The presidential candidate with the most votes wins all the electoral votes of the state (in 48 states). The result is that winning a few large population states, even by a tiny margin, can guarantee election to the presidency. A candidate who received 51% of the vote in just 11 large "swing" states could win the Presidency with as little as 25% of the popular vote. (This is, however, unlikely.)
Are the states of equal importance under the Electoral College system?
No. Not only do electoral votes have an enormous disparity in the number of voters represented, but the awarding of all of a state's votes to one candidate means that votes for other candidates become effectively moot. The "winner take all" system makes the states with more electoral votes more important in the election. The presidential candidate with the most votes wins all the electoral votes of the state (in 48 states). The result is that winning a few large population states, even by a tiny margin, can guarantee election to the presidency. A candidate who received 51% of the vote in just 11 large "swing" states could win the Presidency with as little as 25% of the popular vote. (This is, however, unlikely.)
How many vote does Mitt Romney and Obama get?
Although there are still a few votes that have not been counted yet, the total we have is 62,615,406 votes (51%) for President Obama, with 332 electoral votes; and 59,142,004 (48%) votes for Mitt Romney, with 206 electoral votes.
How many votes are in for Barack Obama?
Although the election was on November 6, 2012, there are still a few votes that have not been counted yet; but the total we have is 62,615,406 votes (51%) for President Obama, with 332 electoral votes; and 59,142,004 (48%) votes for Mitt Romney, with 206 electoral votes.
Do you directly elect your president?
No. Your Vote goes to the electoral college. It then is tallied with the rest of the state'svotes, and the electoral collage votes all go to the candidate with the most votes, with a few exceptions.
How do popular and electoral votes decide the presidency?
Electoral votes in the Electoral College determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The states choose as many electors as it has electoral votes and these electors elect the president. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for. 270 electoral votes in the Electoral College are needed to win the U.S. presidency. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes in the Electoral College is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) + 3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number of 538. It is possible that a candidate could win the "national" popular vote total but lose the electoral vote total. However, the electoral vote of every state accurately reflects the popular vote within that state. A candidate could win the electoral votes in a large state such as California winning the state by a huge margin. However, the opposing candidate could win the electoral votes in other states because a majority of the voters in those states vote for the opposing candidate.That enables the citizens of every state to have a say in the election of the president. If the president was selected by the national popular vote, the citizens in a few large states would select the president of the United States.
