Electoral College

Citizens go to the polls and vote on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. We actually vote for a slate of electors instead of directly voting for a candidate.

Each state is entitled to as many electors as it has members of Congress. (# of Rep. + Senators = Electoral votes) Rep. Sen. = ElectorsExamples: NC 13 2 15 ND 1 2 3 TX 32 2 34 Cal 53 2 55

Must win at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to be elected

Each party designates who they would like to be electors and end up actually casting the electoral votes. If that party’s candidate wins the state’s popular vote then those individuals

become electors and get to vote.

The original intent was that electors would be free to vote as they chose. In reality this is usually not done.They vote as they have been pledged.

Electors meet in their state Capitol on the Monday following the 2nd Wednesday in December to cast their electoral vote. They cast one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. The votes are sealed and sent to Congress where they are opened during a joint session and formally counted in January.

State of Alabama2000 Electoral Votes

In Arizona, the state electors' ballots are affixed with the official state seal during a ceremony at the state capitol in Phoenix.

Arizona Electors vote

http://www.archives.gov/federalregister/electoralcollege/2004/election_results.html(US Electoral College Website)

NORTH CAROLINA (15 electoral votes) Population, 2000 census: 8,049,313

1,961,166 popular votes cast for electors pledged to

George W. Bush and Dick Cheney:

William B. Carraway Sandra (Sandy) Carter

Theresa Esposito Jim Hastings

Martha Jenkins Judy Keener

Elizabeth Kelly Joe L. Morgan

Joseph W. Powell, Jr. Robert Rector

Dewitt Rhoades Marcia M. Spiegel

Ann Sullivan William Harry Trotter Davey G. Williamson

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Seroba AikenEdward C. McGuireJames Narron Jeff DellingerJohn Murphy Harley D. CaldwellEdward SmithWalter MarshallBen Neill John C. BrooksWayne AbrahamMary RhoeArmin Jancis Harold BrokawP. E. Bazemore

LIBERTARIAN PARTY

Douglas S. Adams Carl S. Milsted, Jr.Stephen D. Burr Richard N. NormanJeff Goforth Robert R. RitchieDavid N. GoreeRachel M. TurnbullThomas B. Hill Ray UbingerMichael S. Hilton, Jr. Beverly J. WilcoxBrian Irving Roger L. WrightsShane D. Killian

NORTH CAROLINA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS2004

REPUBLICAN PARTY

Joseph W. Powell, Jr. Dewitt RhoadesAnn SullivanDavey G. WilliamsonWilliam B. Carraway Theresa EspositoSandra Carter Elizabeth KellyWilliam H. Trotter Larry W. PottsThomas D. Luckadoo Dr. Joe MorganJudy Keener Robert RectorMarcia M. Spiegel

No Legal Requirement

In 24 states, electors are not bound by State Law to cast their vote for a specific candidate:

ARIZONA - 10 Electoral Votes ARKANSAS - 6 Electoral Votes DELAWARE - 3 Electoral Votes GEORGIA - 15 Electoral Votes IDAHO - 4 Electoral Votes ILLINOIS - 21 Electoral Votes INDIANA - 11 Electoral Votes IOWA - 7 Electoral Votes KANSAS - 6 Electoral Votes KENTUCKY - 8 Electoral Votes LOUISIANA - 9 Electoral Votes MINNESOTA - 10 Electoral Votes

MISSOURI - 11 Electoral Votes NEW HAMPSHIRE - 4 Electoral Votes NEW JERSEY - 15 Electoral Votes NEW YORK - 31 Electoral Votes NORTH DAKOTA - 3 Electoral Votes PENNSYLVANIA - 21 Electoral Votes RHODE ISLAND - 4 Electoral Votes SOUTH DAKOTA - 3 Electoral Votes TENNESSEE - 11 Electoral Votes TEXAS - 34 Electoral Votes UTAH - 5 Electoral Votes WEST VIRGINIA - 5 Electoral Votes

NORTH CAROLINA – (15 Electoral Votes)

State Law - § 163-212 (Violation cancels vote; elector is replaced and is subject to $500 fine.)

Legal Requirements or Pledges

Electors in 26 States are bound by State Law to cast their vote for a specific candidate

New Mexico- 4th degree felony

1984 Electoral Vote1984 Electoral Vote(Largest landslide)(Largest landslide)

Election results for select yearsElection results for select years1992

Popular Vote

Bush (R) Clinton (D) Perot (Reform) 38% 43% 19%

Electoral Vote168 370 0

North Carolina Popular Vote Electoral VoteGeorge Bush 1,122,608 14Bill Clinton 1,103,716 0Ross Perot 353,845 0

(19,741,065) (44,908,254)(39,102,343)

19921992George Bush = RedBill Clinton = Blue

Election results for select yearsElection results for select years1996

Popular Vote Electoral Vote

Bill Clinton (D) 47,401,898 379Bob Dole (R) 39,198,482 159Ross Perot 8,085,373 0Other 1,704,065 0North Carolina Popular Vote Electoral Vote

Bill Clinton (D) 1,107,849 0Bob Dole (R) 1,225,938 14Ross Perot 168,059 0Other 13,961 0

19961996Bob Dole = RedBill Clinton = Blue

Election results for select yearsElection results for select years2000 2000

Popular Vote Electoral Vote

George W. Bush (R) 50,456,062 (47.9%) 271

Al Gore (D) 50,996,582 (48.4%) 266 (1 voter

abstained) Ralph Nader (G) 2,882,728 (2.7%) 0

Other 1,039,754 (1.0%) 0 Total 105,377,660North Carolina Popular Vote Electoral Vote George W. 1,631,163 14Al Gore 1,257,692 0Other 26,135 0(Nader was not on NC ballot)

Election results for select yearsElection results for select years20002000

Florida Popular Vote Electoral Vote

George Bush (R) 2,912,790 25 (difference of 537 votes!!!!!!!!)

Al Gore (D) 2,912,253 0

Ralph Nader (G) 97,488 0

Florida Voting ProblemsFlorida Voting Problems

Butterfly Ballot

Looking forhanging chads

Chads

Florida Voting ProblemsFlorida Voting ProblemsNine types of errors were found in the counties that used punch card

ballots as they held up the uncounted cards to the light:

1)Some ballots that were properly punched were not counted because of machine error.

2)Some ballots could not be punched all the way because of machine problems.

3)Some ballots were punched all the way but the voter failed to notice that the chad was still attached on one corner.

4)Some ballots were punched all the way but the chad was still attached on two corners.

5)Some ballots were punched all the way but the chad was only detached at one corner.

6)Some ballots only had a pin prick that could be seen when held up to the light, but no corner had been detached.

7)Some ballots had only dimpled chads. In other words there was an indentation but no light could be seen when holding

up the card. 8)Some voters wrote a name on the card rather than punching

through the chad, which probably indicated some problem using the punchcard machine.

9)Some voted for two candidates, which invalidated the vote. This was more common in Palm Beach County because of the

butterfly ballot.

20002000George W. Bush = RedAl Gore = Blue

Election results for select yearsElection results for select years 20042004

Popular Vote Electoral Vote

George W. Bush (R) 62,040,606 (51%) 286

John Kerry (D) 59,028,109 (48%) 251 Ralph Nader (G) 411,304 (1%) 0 Total 121,480,119 (most votes ever) North Carolina Popular Vote Electoral Vote

George W. Bush 1,961,166 15John Kerry 1,525,849 0Michael Bednarik (L) 11,731 0

(1 elector voted for John Edwards)

20042004George W. Bush = RedJohn Kerry = Blue

20082008

Popular VotePopular Vote Electoral VoteElectoral Vote

John McCain (R) 69,297,997 365Barack Obama (D) 59,597,520 173Ralph Nader (I) 590,101 0Bob Barr (L) 523,253 0Chuck Baldwin (Const.) 361,226

0 Cynthia McKinney (Green) 159,889 0Alan Keyes (America’s Indep.) 47,700 0Others 455,113 0 Total 131,032,799 (most votes ever)

2008 North Carolina2008 North Carolina

Popular VotePopular Vote Electoral Electoral VoteVote

Barack Obama (D) 2,142,651 15John McCain (R) 2,128,474 0Bob Barr (L) 25,722 0

Write-in 13,942 0

Electoral College map showing the results of the 2008 US presidential election. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) won the popular vote in 28 states and the District of Columbia (denoted in blue) to capture 365 electoral votes. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) won the popular vote in 22 states (denoted in red) to capture 173 electoral votes. Nebraska split its electoral vote when Senator Obama won Nebraska's 2CD electoral vote; the state's other four

electoral votes went to McCain.

Cartogram representation of the Electoral Cartogram representation of the Electoral

College vote for the 2008 election, with each College vote for the 2008 election, with each square representing one electoral vote.square representing one electoral vote.

Past North Carolina Winners

2008: Barack Obama2004: George W. Bush 2000: George W. Bush 1996: Bob Dole1992: George H. W. Bush 1988: George H. W. Bush 1984: Ronald Reagan 1980: Ronald Reagan 1976: Jimmy Carter 1972: Richard Nixon 1968: Richard Nixon 1964: Lyndon Johnson1960: John F. Kennedy1956: Adlai Stevenson1952: Adlai Stevenson1948: Harry Truman1932, 1936,1940,1944: Franklin Roosevelt1928: Herbert Hoover

Blue- DemocratBlack- Republican

Possible Electoral Vote Possible Electoral Vote TieTie

Flaws in the Electoral CollegeFlaws in the Electoral College

1) The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the Presidency.

1824 (Andrew Jackson lost to J.Q. Adams)1876 (Samuel Tilden lost to Rutherford B. Hayes)1888 (Grover Cleveland lost to Benjamin Harrison)

2000 (Gore won popular vote by over 500,000)*** 15 Presidents were elected without a majority of the popular vote.

2) Electors are not required to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote. Electors have “broken their pledges” and refused to vote for their party’s Presidential nominee on only 11 occasions.

1796 1820 1948 1956 1960 1968 1972

1976 (elector voted for Reagan not Ford)

1988 (elector voted for Bentsen not Dukakis)2000 (D. C. elector abstained-protested no representation for Washington DC in Congress)2004 (one elector voted for John Edwards not John Kerry)

*** These “faithless electors” have had no effect on the outcome of any election but the potential is there!!!!!!

3) The election could ultimately be decided by Congress.

***If no candidate receives at least 270 electoral votes. (simple majority) (need a strong 3rd party candidate)House of Representatives – President

Senate - Vice President

Only Happened twice:

1800 Thomas Jefferson (73) was elected over Aaron Burr

(73), John Adams (65), and Charles Pinckney

(64) (Controversy led to the passage of the 12th

Amendment)1824John Quincy Adams (84) was elected over Andrew Jackson

(99), William Crawford (41), and Henry Clay (37)

Objections to the House of Rep. deciding the Presidency

1)Voting is done by state and not as individuals

(Each state has only 1 vote)

2) If the Representatives of a state can’t decide the state could lose their vote. (Example- Equal # of Democrats and Republicans)

3) The Constitution requires a majority of the states’ votes (must receive at least 26 votes- 3 strong candidates could lead to no one chosen