Mar 22, 2019 what the electoral college does is it forces candidates to create a national majoritythat you cant just run up the vote totals in urban areas or suburban areas or rural areas. What were the vote totals of the 1860 presidential. For the results of the previous election, see united states presidential election of 1908. Through 2016, there have been 58 presidential elections. An interactive version of each map is also available, letting you change history. Popular myths about popular vote electoral college splits by brian j. List of united states presidential elections by electoral college. List of united states presidential elections by popular vote. The cannon salvo that thundered over springfield, illinois, at sunrise on november 6, 1860, signaled not the start of a battle, but the end of the bitter, raucous sixmonthlong. How to circumvent the electoral college and enact a. In the electoral college, only one vote separated the two candidates, still a record for the closest election.
This book is very interesting to see all the statistics around the presidential races. Dec 18, 2016 when the electoral college meets monday for the 58th time in american history to cast the only official vote for president, its 538 members will be acting as the most powerful political. In 1836, all 23 electors in virginia opted to be faithless. List of united states presidential elections by popular. Every four years on the first tuesday following the first monday of november, voters head to the polls to elect the president of the united states.
Popular vote better than electoral college, stanford. Youve got to actually run across the country and across sections of the country. Conveniently, there is a new, and very good book on this subject that just came. When the electoral college meets monday for the 58th time in american history to cast the only official vote for president, its 538 members will be acting as the most powerful political. What the electoral college does is it forces candidates to create a national majoritythat you cant just run up the vote totals in urban areas or suburban areas or rural areas. They were elected, instead, by the electoral collegeor in the case of john quincy adams, by the house of representatives after a. But even if the compact fails to reach critical mass, there are other ways that states could reorient the electoral college on their own, according to robert bennett, who wrote about the nationwide popular vote movement in his 2006 book taming the. Per my forthcoming book, jonathons potus cousins which shows cousin kinship of all the potus from washington to trump in the context of history during their administrations and how key things played out over time, or involved other cousins. That did not work very well, so today the president and vicepresident are elected on separate ballots. After the people vote american enterprise institute aei.
Data, statistics, media, and other resources on elections and voting, turnout, campaigns and nominations, electoral administration, and more, both in the united. A guide to the electoral college, leading constitutional, political, and legal scholars use examples from that controversial election and other disputed elections to explain how the electoral college works. The table below is a list of united states presidential elections ordered by margin of victory in the electoral college vote. January 20, 2021inauguration day the presidentelect is sworn in as president of the united states. Fairvote regularly generates research and analysis about problems with current methods of allocating electoral. Gaines, university of illinois at urbanachampaign an official recount was required to determine the winner of a knife edged election. Taming the electoral college explores poorly understood aspects of the electoral college, including two possibilities in particular that could pose the most serious danger for american democracy. The electoral college system relies on 50 different election results wherein vote counting problems can be narrowed down and dealt with in single states. This was a result of a compromise between those constitutional framers who wanted the congress to choose the president, and those who preferred a national popular vote. Five times in history, presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the electoral college.
States can design their own mechanism without federal involvement for choosing their electors. Sections 2 to 5 of the charter set out fundamental freedoms and democratic rights. This site provides national election results and maps for presidential elections from 1789 to the present, as well. This is a list detailing the electoral history of the libertarian party in the united states, sorted by office.
United states presidential election of 1912 united. It is sorted to display elections by their presidential term year of election, name, margin by percentage in popular vote, popular vote, margin in popular vote by number, and the runner up in the electoral college. View a map, results and history from each of the 58 prior u. The 2016 election featured unconventional and divisive campaigns and the electoral college results led to a stunning upset victory for republican candidate donald j. Tilden in the election of 1876 was the closest in our history. The list currently consists of candidates who ran for partisan office, although a number of individuals who identify themselves with the libertarian party have been elected to nonpartisan offices, such as municipal offices. The extraordinary presidential election contest in 2000 raised new issues about the electoral process. The 2008 presidential election popular vote totals in georgia were john mccain 2,048,759 and barack obama 1,844,123. A senate candidates untimely death resulted, surprisingly and circuitously, in the democrats picking up an extra senate seat. International elections cover vote totals by country, constituency, and some regional and precinctlevel data for countries in africa, asia, europe, latin america, and the pacific.
Electoral history of the libertarian party united states. List of united states presidential elections by electoral. Popular myths about popular voteelectoral college splits. Discover librarianselected research resources on u. Hence, they created the electoral college, where citizens of each state would vote for a slate of electors, who theoretically were pledged to then vote for a specific candidate. Each state has as many electors in the electoral college as it has representatives and senators in the. Other electoral vote counts can be found on the main electoral vote page. This page details the electoral vote for the 1824 presidential election. The electoral college has been divisive since day one history. A history of the vote in canada chapter 4 the charter era, 19822006. Detailed nationallevel presidential election results for 1960. Unless the election is a total blowout in favor of biden, then on january 21, 2021.
The electoral college has been taking quite a beating lately. The story of the electoral college is also one of slaveryan institution. Even former president barack obama has jumped onto this bandwagon. Its a process that can be difficult to understand, but the difference between the electoral vote and the popular vote actually shows why your vote matters in the presidential election.
Even former president barack obama has jumped onto this. Nov 10, 2016 if current projections hold, hillary clinton will soon become the second presidential nominee to win the popular vote yet lose the electoral college and thus the white house in the past. The electoral college is a body of electors established by the united states constitution, which forms every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the united states. Electoral college simple english wikipedia, the free. The new edition of this popular guide provides a short history of contested elections, including a fresh essay on the 2000 election. If you have a question about politics, civics, history, etc. According to article ii, section 1, clause 2 of the. Hillary clinton poised to win popular vote despite losing. The table below is a list of united states presidential elections by popular vote margin. In his recently released book, the framers coup, klarman discusses how. Electoral vote vs popular vote difference and comparison. This was the first of two times in history that the house of representatives actually chose the president.
The electoral college distorts presidential campaigns. Apr 10, 2019 but even if the compact fails to reach critical mass, there are other ways that states could reorient the electoral college on their own, according to robert bennett, who wrote about the nationwide popular vote movement in his 2006 book taming the electoral college. What happens next with americas electoral legitimacy time. What were the total popular vote totals as percentages in the. Your vote matters to the electoral vote total bustle. List of united states presidential elections by popular vote margin. Electoral vote count of the 1880 presidential election. This has led some to question why americans use this system to elect their presidents in. International elections cover vote totals by country, constituency, and some regional and precinctlevel data for. The electoral college website now has an easytoremember address.
But, if circumstances warranted, the electors could be free to vote for a candidate other than the one to whom they were pledged. Originally, electors voted for two candidates and the people with the two highest vote totals would be elected president and vicepresident. Dirty elections and the rotten history of democracy in america gumbel. Southerners wanted slaves to count the same as anyone else, and some. That experience demonstrated that a single nationwide vote for president could find itself entangled in a number of state vote counting problems and discrepancies. Home 2020 election results election info weblog forum wiki search email login site info store. Why is the electoral college used and what are the. Panelists talked about a movement to bypass the electoral college and award the presidency to the candidate winning the popular vote. Sep 25, 2019 from george washingtons uncontested run for president to the divisive campaigns of 2016, see an overview of all the presidential elections in u. It is sorted to display elections by their presidential term year of election, name, margin by percentage in popular vote, popular vote, margin in popular vote by number. In a united states presidential election, the popular vote is the total number or percentage of.
No doubt the most significant influence on electoral law in the postwar years was the adoption of the canadian charter of rights and freedoms, which came into effect on april 17, 1982. It was the result of a lastminute compromise at the. The electoral vote results are counted and certified by a joint session of congress, held on january 6 of the year succeeding the election. There was only one time in history that faithless electors altered the result of an electoral vote. This week conclusively proved that democrats are going to add to the conspiracy theory mix, and that the u. Douglas, and constitutional union candidate john bell. United states presidential election of 1912 united states. Wilson, born in virginia, thus became the first southernborn president elected since the american civil war 186165.
Jan 03, 2017 per my forthcoming book, jonathons potus cousins which shows cousin kinship of all the potus from washington to trump in the context of history during their administrations and how key things played out over time, or involved other cousins. These are, first, determination of the president by faithless electors who ignore the popular vote in their states, and, second, choice of the. The electoral college plays a very important role in todays elections. Detailed nationallevel presidential election results for 1908. Top 10 historic midterm elections history smithsonian.
April 8, 2016 national popular vote far better than electoral college system for choosing presidents, stanford professors say. Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of american federalism. The electoral college system relies on 50 different election results wherein vote counting problems. How to circumvent the electoral college and enact a popular vote. In fact, many people consider the man inaugurated in march 1877 was not the winner at all. Advantages of the electoral vote over a popular vote. In other words, they did not receive a plurality regarding the popular vote. Correcting media distortions about the electoral college. Electoral college fast facts us house of representatives. Covid19, history, and behindthescenes questions, just like last week. Presidents elected without winning the popular vote.
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Top 10 historic midterm elections while not as memorable or studied as presidential campaigns, the midterm elections also stand as pivotal moments in u. The spoke about arguments for and against the electoral. Two states on opposite sides of the political aislenew york and texas, for. This was a result of a compromise between those constitutional framers who wanted the congress to choose the president, and. The 2016 historical interactive map shows the official electoral vote, which trump won 304227, with seven total faithless electors. This page links to the results of those historical elections, including a larger map, results and synopsis of the race.
Oct 23, 2016 its a process that can be difficult to understand, but the difference between the electoral vote and the popular vote actually shows why your vote matters in the presidential election. Gaines, university of illinois at urbanachampaign an official recount was required to determine the winner of a knifeedged election. Popular myths about popular voteelectoral college splits by brian j. The story of the electoral college, one pundit recently wrote, is also one of slavery. What were the total popular vote totals as percentages in. Article two of the constitution originally established the method of presidential elections, including the electoral college. If current projections hold, hillary clinton will soon become the second presidential nominee to win the popular vote yet lose the electoral college and thus the white house in the past.
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