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On 4 November 2008, Americans head to the polls to elect a new president and vice president. Although we cast a ballot for a nominee, in reality we are selecting "electors" -- those people who will cast the deciding ballot. The electoral college is the remaining non-direct election artifact created by the Founding Fathers, most of whom had a distrust of direct democracy (even when the only people who could vote were landed white men).
Electoral votes are based on congressional representation -- sum the total number of senators and representatives. The total is 538 and 270 votes are needed to be elected.
| State |
1981-1990 |
1991-2000 |
2001-2010 |
| Alabama |
9 |
9 |
9 |
| Alaska |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Arizona |
7 |
8 |
10 |
| Arkansas |
6 |
6 |
6 |
| California |
47 |
54 |
55 |
| Colorado |
8 |
8 |
9 |
| Connecticut |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| Delaware |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| D.C. |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Florida |
21 |
25 |
27 |
| |
|
|
|
| Georgia |
12 |
13 |
15 |
| Hawaii |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| Idaho |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| Illinois |
24 |
22 |
21 |
| Indiana |
12 |
12 |
11 |
| Iowa |
8 |
7 |
7 |
| Kansas |
7 |
6 |
6 |
| Kentucky |
9 |
8 |
8 |
| Louisiana |
10 |
9 |
9 |
| Maine |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
| Maryland |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Massachusetts |
13 |
12 |
12 |
| Michigan |
20 |
18 |
17 |
| Minnesota |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Mississippi |
7 |
7 |
6 |
| Missouri |
11 |
11 |
11 |
| Montana |
4 |
3 |
3 |
| Nebraska |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| Nevada |
4 |
4 |
5 |
| New Hampshire |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
| New Jersey |
16 |
15 |
15 |
| New Mexico |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| New York |
36 |
33 |
31 |
| North Carolina |
13 |
14 |
15 |
| North Dakota |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Ohio |
23 |
21 |
20 |
| Oklahoma |
8 |
8 |
7 |
| Oregon |
7 |
7 |
7 |
| Pennsylvania |
25 |
23 |
21 |
| Rhode Island |
4 |
4 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
| South Carolina |
8 |
8 |
8 |
| South Dakota |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Tennessee |
11 |
11 |
11 |
| Texas |
29 |
32 |
34 |
| Utah |
5 |
5 |
5 |
| Vermont |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Virginia |
12 |
13 |
13 |
| Washington |
10 |
11 |
11 |
| West Virginia |
6 |
5 |
5 |
| Wisconsin |
11 |
11 |
10 |
| Wyoming |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Source:FEC
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