In most states, the slate of electors that gets the most votes wins and gets to travel to the state capital in December to vote for president and vice president. Electors are actual human beings, with houses, children, jobs, and very occasionally, their own opinions.
In caucus states, the electors may be chosen at the state caucus. The voters are then actually voting for a slate of electors pledged to one candidate or another. In states with primary elections, each presidential candidate usually designates a slate of electors who then appear on the November ballot. Florida has gained at least one electoral vote in every Census since 1930.Įach state determines how its electors are chosen by state law and the process varies from state to state. This makes it the only state, other than Texas, to gain more than one. The Sunshine State will have 29 electoral votes in the 2012 presidential election, up from 27 in 2008. House of Representatives seats now, will have 27 beginning with the 2012 elections. Instead, a complex system exists in which countries, not citizens, are the key players, exactly like the role of the states in the U.S.įlorida will gain two congressional seats and two additional electoral votes as a result of 2010 census data. For example, the European Union does not have a direct election for its president. Even in the modern world, direct election of a distant president is not always so easy. In the early days of the nation, electors were chosen due to their wisdom and knowledge of politics, not due to their preference for any particular candidate. In this climate, a direct election of the president would probably have been difficult in any case. In the 18th Century, America was largely rural and most people were farmers who knew little about politics.
#2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION POPULAR VOTE TOTALS FREE#
This happened in 1800 and again in 1824.Įach state is free to choose its electors as it wishes. If no candidate gets a majority of the electoral vote, the House of Representatives elects the president, with each state having one vote. These electors, who together form the electoral college, are the ones who actually elect the president. The electors meet in their respective state capitals in December of each election year to cast their votes for president and vice president. Currently California has the largest number of electors: 55. Since each state has two senators and at least one Representative, every state has at least three electors. Each state is entitled to a number of electors equal to that state's representation in Congress (Senate + House). The procedure for electing a president is spelled out in Article II. The first 10 of these amendments, called the Bill of Rights, were approved in 1790. Its constitution was ratified in 1788 and has been amended only 27 times since then. Maine is the only other state that uses a split system.The United States is the oldest continuously functioning democracy in the world. John McCain won a plurality in the 1st and 3rd districts, as well as the overall state vote and therefore was awarded four electoral votes. Barack Obama won a plurality in the 2nd congressional district (Omaha), and therefore was awarded one of the state's five electoral votes. The state allocates one electoral vote to the winner of each of the state's three congressional districts, and the remaing two to the candidate who wins a plurality of the entire state's popular vote. Nebraska uses a split system for allocating electoral votes.
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