Changes

Today, there are a total of 538 total votes in the Electoral College, which are divided among the 50 States (plus several territories) based on a sum of their number of members in the House of Representatives and Senate.  For example, New Jersey has 12 members of the House of Representatives and (like every State) has two U.S. Senators, for a total of 14 Electoral College votes.  States with larger populations have a greater vote in the Electoral College:  California has 55, Texas has 38, and Florida has 29.

Today, there are a total of 538 total votes in the Electoral College, which are divided among the 50 States (plus several territories) based on a sum of their number of members in the House of Representatives and Senate.  For example, New Jersey has 12 members of the House of Representatives and (like every State) has two U.S. Senators, for a total of 14 Electoral College votes.  States with larger populations have a greater vote in the Electoral College:  California has 55, Texas has 38, and Florida has 29.

All states except for Maine and Nebraska choose a "winner take all" system, whereby the candidate who wins the most votes in the State then receives '''all''' of the State's votes for president.  The extremely close presidential election of 2000 between Bush and Gore illustrated how this works.

All states except for Maine and Nebraska choose a "winner take all" system, whereby the candidate who wins the most votes in the State then receives '''''all''''' of the State's votes for president.  The extremely close presidential election of 2000 between Bush and Gore illustrated how this works.

Because there are 538 total Electoral College votes, a candidate must obtain 270 Electoral College votes in order to win.  In the presidential election of 2000, not counting Florida, Al Gore was ahead with 267 Electoral College votes to George W. Bush's 246 Electoral College votes.  The vote in Florida was so close that it was impossible to official declare a winner on election night.

Because there are 538 total Electoral College votes, a candidate must obtain 270 Electoral College votes in order to win.  In the presidential election of 2000, not counting Florida, Democrat Al Gore was ahead with 267 Electoral College votes to Republican George W. Bush's 246 Electoral College votes.  The vote in Florida was so close that it was impossible to declare a winner on election night.

If Florida had a law giving each candidate the same percentage of the Florida's Electoral College votes as he won in the vote by the people, then Gore and Bush would have each received about 50% of the Electoral College votes from Florida, and Gore would have won the presidential election.

If Florida had a law giving each candidate the same percentage of the Florida's Electoral College votes as he won in the vote by the people, then Gore and Bush would have each received about 50% of the Electoral College votes from Florida, and Gore would have won the presidential election.

But instead Florida, like most States, votes with one voice in the Electoral College by casting all of its votes for the candidate who won the people's vote in Florida.  This is similar to how a jury makes a decision for one side or the other, and similar to how the delegates voted at the Constitutional Convention, where each State had one vote based on a majority vote by the delegates from that State.  So Florida, like most States, did not split its Electoral College votes between Bush and Gore, but instead cast all of its Electoral College votes for one or the other candidate.

But instead Florida, like most States, votes with one voice in the Electoral College by casting all of its votes for the candidate who won the people's vote in Florida.  This is similar to how the delegates voted at the Constitutional Convention, where each State had one vote based on a majority vote by the delegates from that State.  So Florida, like most States, did not split its Electoral College votes between Bush and Gore, but instead cast all of its Electoral College votes for one or the other candidate.

If you set the rules for your State, would you have this type of "winner-takes-all" system?  The advantages include preventing a candidate from taking the State for granted, and causing the candidate to try to win the State rather than simply attract some votes there.  Florida gets more attention from the candidates by having its "winner take all" system than it would otherwise.  This system is similar to sports contests, where fans prefer having a "winner" and a "loser", rather than a "tie" where neither side clearly won or lost.  On the other hand, having a winner-take-all system may result in decreased attention for a state that is safely Republican or Democratic.  For example, New Jersey is a safe Democratic state that assigns its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis, so it is a waste of money for either candidate to campaign there. On the other hand, if New Jersey awarded Electoral College votes proportionally, it may be worthwhile for candidates to campaign there to get a few additional votes in the Electoral College.  In 2013, the Republican legislatures in Pennsylvania and Virginia considered bills that would award Electoral College votes by Congressional district, meaning that one vote would go to the winner of each Congressional district.  Both states went to Obama in 2012, and the efforts were seen as a way to allow Republican candidates to obtain at least some Electoral College votes, whereas under winner-take-all, they would be unlikely to get any at all.

If you set the rules for your State, would you have this type of "winner-takes-all" system?  The advantages include preventing a candidate from taking the State for granted, and causing the candidate to try to win the State rather than simply attract some votes there.  Florida gets more attention from the candidates by having its "winner take all" system than it would otherwise.  This system is similar to sports contests, where fans prefer having a "winner" and a "loser", rather than a "tie" where neither side clearly won or lost.  On the other hand, having a winner-take-all system may result in decreased attention for a state that is safely Republican or Democratic.  For example, New Jersey is a safe Democratic state that assigns its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis, so it is a waste of money for either candidate to campaign there. Another advantage is that voting fraud in one State is less likely to affect the overall result under a "winner-takes-all" system, since at most only the outcome in that State would be affected by it.

There are other advantages to the Electoral College system.  No national recounts of votes are required in close presidential elections under this system.  In 1960, John F Kennedy received 34,220,984 votes, or 49.7%, compared with Richard Nixon, who won 34,108,157 votes, or 49.6%.  Barely 100,000 votes, out of more than 68 million cast, separated the two candidates.  In the absence of an Electoral College system, a nationwide recount would have taken many weeks and might have changed the result.  But with the Electoral College, the overall outcome did not depend on the results in Illinois, as Kennedy's margin of victory in the Electoral College was large enough that he would still have a majority even if Nixon won Illinois.

In 2013, legislatures in Pennsylvania and Virginia considered but rejected bills that would award Electoral College votes by congressional district, meaning that one vote would go to the winner of each Congressional district.  The change would have helped a Republican presidential candidate in Pennsylvania by enabling him to win many Electoral College votes even though the majority of the State votes for the Democrat.  Under the winner-take-all system, Republican presidential candidates typically win zero Electoral College votes in Pennsylvania, despite winning about 45% of the popular vote there.

Beginning in the 2000s, opponents of the Electoral College system have proposed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.  The intent is to have enough states join the compact to account for 270 or more Electoral College votes; then, all those states would case all their Electoral College votes for the popular vote winner.  This would result in ''de facto'' elimination of the Electoral College.  As of September 2014, ten states and the District of Columbia have joined the compact; they represent 165 Electoral Votes.

 

Beginning in the 2000s, opponents of the Electoral College system have proposed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.  The intent is to have enough states join the compact to account for 270 or more Electoral College votes; then, all those states would case all their Electoral College votes for the popular vote winner.  This would result in ''de facto'' elimination of the Electoral College.  As of September 2014, ten states and the District of Columbia have joined the compact; they represent 165 Electoral Votes, far short of the 270 required before it would go into effect.

=== When No Candidate Wins a Majority ===

=== When No Candidate Wins a Majority ===