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. List of united states presidential elections by popular. 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. United states presidential election of 1912 united states. 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. According to article ii, section 1, clause 2 of the. This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Even former president barack obama has jumped onto this bandwagon. The electoral college plays a very important role in todays elections.
Top 10 historic midterm elections history smithsonian. 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. Sections 2 to 5 of the charter set out fundamental freedoms and democratic rights. April 8, 2016 national popular vote far better than electoral college system for choosing presidents, stanford professors say. An interactive version of each map is also available, letting you change history. List of united states presidential elections by popular vote. This page details the electoral vote for the 1824 presidential election.
The story of the electoral college is also one of slaveryan institution. In the electoral college, only one vote separated the two candidates, still a record for the closest election. 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 2008 presidential election popular vote totals in georgia were john mccain 2,048,759 and barack obama 1,844,123. 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. Electoral vote count of the 1880 presidential election. Hillary clinton poised to win popular vote despite losing. View a map, results and history from each of the 58 prior u. The electoral college distorts presidential campaigns. List of united states presidential elections by electoral college.
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. The 2016 election featured unconventional and divisive campaigns and the electoral college results led to a stunning upset victory for republican candidate donald j. International elections cover vote totals by country, constituency, and some regional and precinctlevel data for. This has led some to question why americans use this system to elect their presidents in. Fairvote regularly generates research and analysis about problems with current methods of allocating electoral.
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. Electoral college simple english wikipedia, the free. Youve got to actually run across the country and across sections of the country. Panelists talked about a movement to bypass the electoral college and award the presidency to the candidate winning the popular vote. 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. Why is the electoral college used and what are the. Wilson, born in virginia, thus became the first southernborn president elected since the american civil war 186165. 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.
Originally, electors voted for two candidates and the people with the two highest vote totals would be elected president and vicepresident. Detailed nationallevel presidential election results for 1960. What were the vote totals of the 1860 presidential. The spoke about arguments for and against the electoral. That experience demonstrated that a single nationwide vote for president could find itself entangled in a number of state vote counting problems and discrepancies. 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.
List of united states presidential elections by electoral. That process is constitutional, the fifth circuit court of appeals said in its decision. Your vote matters to the electoral vote total bustle. Correcting media distortions about the electoral college. This week conclusively proved that democrats are going to add to the conspiracy theory mix, and that the u. The electoral college system relies on 50 different election results wherein vote counting problems can be narrowed down and dealt with in single states. 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. Conveniently, there is a new, and very good book on this subject that just came. The table below is a list of united states presidential elections ordered by margin of victory in the electoral college vote. Electoral history of the libertarian party united states. That did not work very well, so today the president and vicepresident are elected on separate ballots. Top 10 historic midterm elections while not as memorable or studied as presidential campaigns, the midterm elections also stand as pivotal moments in u. Dirty elections and the rotten history of democracy in america gumbel. A senate candidates untimely death resulted, surprisingly and circuitously, in the democrats picking up an extra senate seat.
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. Presidents elected without winning the popular vote. The electoral college has been divisive since day one history. What were the total popular vote totals as percentages in the. 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. Popular myths about popular voteelectoral college splits by brian j. 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. Data, statistics, media, and other resources on elections and voting, turnout, campaigns and nominations, electoral administration, and more, both in the united. What happens next with americas electoral legitimacy time. Tilden in the election of 1876 was the closest in our history.
The story of the electoral college, one pundit recently wrote, is also one of slavery. Electoral college fast facts us house of representatives. Electoral vote vs popular vote difference and comparison. 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. The electoral college is a vestige, he told reporters late. In a united states presidential election, the popular vote is the total number or percentage of. Popular vote better than electoral college, stanford. In his recently released book, the framers coup, klarman discusses how. In fact, many people consider the man inaugurated in march 1877 was not the winner at all. Douglas, and constitutional union candidate john bell. The electoral vote results are counted and certified by a joint session of congress, held on january 6 of the year succeeding the election. Popular myths about popular vote electoral college splits by brian j. January 20, 2021inauguration day the presidentelect is sworn in as president of the united states. Home 2020 election results election info weblog forum wiki search email login site info store.
List of united states presidential elections by popular vote margin. It was the result of a lastminute compromise at the. 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. After the people vote american enterprise institute aei. Advantages of the electoral vote over a popular vote. Discover librarianselected research resources on u. This book is very interesting to see all the statistics around the presidential races.
If you have a question about politics, civics, history, etc. These are, first, determination of the president by faithless electors who ignore the popular vote in their states, and, second, choice of the. There was only one time in history that faithless electors altered the result of an electoral vote. Two states on opposite sides of the political aislenew york and texas, for.
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. The table below is a list of united states presidential elections by popular vote margin. In other words, they did not receive a plurality regarding the popular vote. How to circumvent the electoral college and enact a. 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. For the results of the previous election, see united states presidential election of 1908. Gaines, university of illinois at urbanachampaign an official recount was required to determine the winner of a knife edged election. The new edition of this popular guide provides a short history of contested elections, including a fresh essay on the 2000 election. The electoral college website now has an easytoremember address. What were the total popular vote totals as percentages in.
Each state has as many electors in the electoral college as it has representatives and senators in the. Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of american federalism. 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. Detailed nationallevel presidential election results for 1908. Covid19, history, and behindthescenes questions, just like last week. 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.
A history of the vote in canada chapter 4 the charter era, 19822006. 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. But, if circumstances warranted, the electors could be free to vote for a candidate other than the one to whom they were pledged. Unless the election is a total blowout in favor of biden, then on january 21, 2021. 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. Other electoral vote counts can be found on the main electoral vote page. This site provides national election results and maps for presidential elections from 1789 to the present, as well.
They were elected, instead, by the electoral collegeor in the case of john quincy adams, by the house of representatives after a. Gaines, university of illinois at urbanachampaign an official recount was required to determine the winner of a knifeedged election. The extraordinary presidential election contest in 2000 raised new issues about the electoral process. Southerners wanted slaves to count the same as anyone else, and some. Article two of the constitution originally established the method of presidential elections, including the electoral college. 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. In 1836, all 23 electors in virginia opted to be faithless. This was the first of two times in history that the house of representatives actually chose the president. 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. Five times in history, presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the electoral college.
How to circumvent the electoral college and enact a popular vote. Aug, 2004 the new edition of this popular guide provides a short history of contested elections, including a fresh essay on the 2000 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. Through 2016, there have been 58 presidential elections. Popular myths about popular voteelectoral college splits.
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