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What does one call the system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the leading candidate?
The "Electoral System" of the United States sets up the "Electoral College", which is made up of "Electors" living within a State, who are said to be members of the State's "Electoral College"..
The founding mothers and fathers of the USA disagreed about how the Federal leaders would be elected. Some thought that George Washington should be 'King' of the brand new USA, but Washington refused to consider that one!
Others thought that the people should vote directly for Federal leaders - after all this new nation was based on democracy. Others very strongly felt that the leaders in each State should vote for Federal leaders.
Both groups had good ideas, but they had to compromise a little. So, they devised the electoral system under which the people DID vote for their favorite candidate, so they had considerable control. The electoral system provided for the States, themselves to vote according to their opinions. So both ideas were included in the electoral system.
However, the States weren't required to vote for the candidate that the people selected . . . that would have taken away their power to vote. Most States DO vote according to the peoples' wishes, though, in any given election.
So when Al Gore was defeated by George Bush for the Presidency, it was perfectly correct and lawful because of the electoral system. The fact that more people voted for Gore means nothing - that is not how the voting system was set up.
What else can I help you with?
Which are the two states that are exception to the unit rule for awarding electoral votes?
Maine and nebraska
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.)
What candidate won the electoral votes of pacific coast states?
David Wells
How does popular vote relate to electoral votes?
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.
How many states can a candidate win and still lose the election?
When referring to the Electoral College and Presidential elections, a candidate can win by taking: California (55 electoral votes) Texas (28 electoral votes) Florida (29 electoral votes) New York (29 electoral votes) Illinois (20 electoral votes) Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) Ohio (18 electoral votes) Georgia (16 electoral votes) Michigan (16 electoral votes) New Jersey (15 electoral votes) Virginia (14 electoral votes) - a total of 11 states for 270 electoral votes which means a candidate can lose the other 39 states and District of Columbia and still win the election.
Are small states proportionally under represented in the electoral college?
No, it would be false to say that small states are proportionally underrepresented in the electoral college. To become president, a candidate needs 270 electoral votes.
What are the three smallest number of electoral votes that a candidate can have?
The three smallest number of electoral votes that a candidate could possibly win are zero, three, and six.
Can someone win the general election but lose the electoral votes?
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.
How can someone win by electoral votes and not by popularity vote?
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.
Can someone win the general election but lose the electoral vote?
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.
What happens if no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes in the United States election?
If no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes in the United States election, the decision goes to the House of Representatives, where they will vote to choose the next president from the top three candidates with the most electoral votes.
