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Looking at the Numbers: Minority Rules

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