New President......the Winner Is...

[Lolly]

Originally Posted by andrewb

Here goes..

Each state has a number of electoral college votes, depending on how big the states population is. For example Florida has 27 votes, and Idaho 4. In most states getting the majority vote from the people, means you take all the states electoral college votes.

Then the one who gets to 270 wins the presidency.

Ok thanks I get that now, but how are electoral college votes made up? Is it if a certain amount of people vote then you get 1 electoral college vote? Sorry for being dim!

[Lolly]

I've just been reading some articles about the election (dont ask why, coz even i dont understand but its just grabbed me! lol ) this particular article i was reading was about Sarah Palin not yet releasing her medical records, as she promised 2 weeks ago. Obama, Biden & McCain have all realeased their records but no sign of Sarah's as of yet.

Any who the point of my post is why do they have to release their medical records?

[jambutty]

An ATM machine can count notes and the post office equipment can sort out letters with different postcodes so surely the boffins could produce a vote counting machine? Er! Not one that relies on chads and all its variations that were argued about last time.

According to a BBC Jeremy Vine just purely for fun phone poll, 80% of those who felt like wasting 15p voted for Obama. Meaning that only 20% voted for McCain.

I suppose that also means that shares in oven chips now hits rock bottom.

[andrewb]

Originally Posted by Lolly

Ok thanks I get that now, but how are electoral college votes made up? Is it if a certain amount of people vote then you get 1 electoral college vote? Sorry for being dim!

Well they're divided up into states depending on population. The candidate who gets most votes in the state takes the electoral college votes.

Thankfully I didn't have to explain the primaries which are even more complex!

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by carpon

.But one fact remains. A war, (in whatever it's auspice) cannot be fought and won on two fronts.For proof of that read throughout history.

WW2 - Britain fights in Europe and the Far East. Result? Win.

WW2 - USA fights in Europe and across the Pacific. Result? Win.

WW1 - Britain fights on the Western front and the Ottoman empire. Result? Win.

Napoleonic Wars - Britain fights in Europe, America and the West Indies. Result? Win.

Seven Years War - Britain fights in Europe, India, the West Indies and North America. Result? Win.

Who is this idiot Carpon?

[Eric]

Originally Posted by shakermaker

It's only people that haven't got a clue about the election over there yet want to stick their oar in that make the skin colour/assassins comments.

It's not the election that is the problem ... it's the entrenched racism in many parts of America, particularly in the trailer park trash South, and in much of the Bible Belt ... Obama seems to have made it to election day, but, if elected, keeping him alive will be a security nightmare.

[Eric]

And the first result is in: In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, Obama wins by a landslide: 15 votes to 6.

[Lolly]

Originally Posted by Eric

And the first result is in: In Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, Obama wins by a landslide: 15 votes to 6.

Are these exit polls or official results? Because I didnt think that the first states polls closed until 2300 GMT.

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by Lolly

Can anyone actually tell me how the election works? What are key states? I know that the winner is the the first to get 270 votes, but 270 votes from what?? It was in the paper yesterday: The American Presidential Elections for Dummies, and i still didnt understand it. lol

The 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) have a certain umber of delegates tot he Electoral college each. The number of delegates is the number of senators each state has + the number of representatives (to the House of Representatives). Each State returns 2 Senators to the Senate (which is the upper house of Congress), the number of representatives is determinded by the population of the state.

California has 55 votes in the Electoral college (this is the most votes of any state), but Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont, Delware and District of Columbia all have only 3 votes each.

All the states, apart from Maine and Nebraska, operate a 'winner takes all' giving the entire allocation of delegates to whoever wins the popular vote in the state.
There are a total of 538 Electoral votes, so whoever gets 270 votes has won.

(I read all about the Electoral College system in this weeks Sunday Independent, so if anyone disagrees with what I wrote I am only quoting the figures from there)

[Royboy39]

Who gives a toss either way.....We have still got Gordon Brown.

[panther]

Well obama finally becomes president in january, doesnt he remind ya of martin luther king?, must be the way he does his speeches

[jaysay]

Thank God is over now we can get back to the good old English sport of Brown baiting

[claytonender]

Originally Posted by Royboy39

Who gives a toss either way.....We have still got Gordon Brown.

I didn't know that Gordon Brown was Prime Minister of Spain. I must have slept through our annexation of Spain.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by claytonender

I didn't know that Gordon Brown was Prime Minister of Spain. I must have slept through our annexation of Spain.

Didn't realise he was still prime Ministof GB either thought that had passed to Mandy Pandy

[mani]

lets hope obama can deliever on the promises and hopefulness he's been elected on.