Just how many people elect the president of the United States? The answer may surprise you.  Consider the 2000 presidential elections. Even though more than 100 million people voted in the election, only a small portion of those votes in fact were decisive. Indeed the results would have been exactly the same even if nearly 80 million of those voters would have stayed home.

Here’s what we mean:

• Total number of votes cast nationwide in Presidential elections:
• 105,396,641 in 2000
• 131,338,626 in 2008
• Total number of votes cast for the winner in their states won:
• 26,353,058 in 30 states for George W. Bush
• 53,363,321 in 29 states (including DC) for Barack Obama
• Minimum number of votes the winner needed in order to win in those same states:
• 21,835,615 in 30 states for George W. Bush
• 39,908,351 in 29 states (including DC) for Barack Obama
• Total number of votes that did not factor in determining the winner of the president in their respective years:
• To win the Electoral College in 2000, Bush needed only 21,835,615 votes out of a total of 105,396,641 votes.
• To win the Electoral College in 2008, Obama needed only 39,908,351 votes out of a total of 131,338,626 votes.
• Percentage of votes that did not factor in determining the winner in their respective years:
• 79.28% in 2000
• 70.39% in 2008

Electoral College Table of Contents


 

August 12th 2007
States Try to Alter How Presidents Are Elected
New York Times

NY Times article on the attempt by California and North Carolina to award their Electoral College votes by congressional district. It draws on FairVote's report on the issue to outline the flaws of this method.

August 9th 2007
Fuzzy Math: Wrong Way Reforms for Allocating Electoral College Votes

August 7th 2007
A Red Play for the Golden State
Newsweek

Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter explains how the proposal to award California's and North Carolina's electoral votes by congressional district are motivated by short-term political gain.

August 6th 2007
GOP eyes California's electoral pie
Los Angeles Times

The author explains why Republicans want California's electoral votes distributed by congressional districts. In a safely Democratic state, such a move will add an additional score votes to the Republicans' tally - the equivalent of winning Ohio.

August 2nd 2007
Votescam
The New Yorker

FairVote board member Hendrik Hertzberg writes on the folly of the statewide and national implications of the congressional district electoral vote scheme.

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