Electoral College January 2016

Electoral College Comprised of 538 voting members Selected by the Democrats and Republicans in each state Party that wins the popular vote sends their electoral voters

Winner-take-all All states except Maine and Nebraska are winner take all Congressional District Method electoral votes split based on popular vote OR electoral votes based on who won the majority of congressional districts Arguably gives more of a voice

Swing State Also called a battleground or purple state State in which no single candidate has a clear win Swing states in the 2012 presidential election. President Barack Obama won the nationwide popular vote by ~4 percentage points; this won him the bulk of the closely contested states, losing only North Carolina.2012 presidential election States won by Republican Mitt Romney by 0–4 percentage pointsMitt Romney States won by Democrat Barack Obama by 0–4 percentage pointsBarack Obama States won by Democrat Barack Obama by 4–8 percentage points

Electoral College & Federalism A winning candidate needs to win whole states, not just the population centers -makes it so that the needs of rural voters should also be met Unlikely one candidate will only appeal to largely populated states (note Texas and California…) The electoral college ensures that state needs are addressed, in the federal system. What are shared powers and obligations of both state and federal government?

1960 Presidential Election Popular Vote: Nixon % Kennedy % Nixon won more individual states Is this representative?

Media Coverage & Electors Note that western voters could be influenced by the early results in eastern states.