electoral college news stories on Newser

Hispanics Key to 2012 Electoral Map

Matt Cantor — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:47:45 CDT

If he wants to win in November, Mitt Romney will need to make giant strides among Hispanics, and he knows it. A failure to do so "spells doom for us," he was caught saying at a fundraiser. President Obama already appears to have a large electoral-vote lead—247 to 191—...

Who's Winning, State by State

Matt Cantor — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:41:05 CDT

If President Obama can retain most of the states he won in 2008, his general election prospects look good. But it's by no means a done deal, an AP analysis shows. As it stands, the Democrats appear to have 186 electoral votes in the bag; Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin...

2012 Election Hinges on 4 States

Kevin Spak — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:29:13 CDT

Odds are, the state you live in doesn't matter in the 2012 election, strategically speaking. Democratic and Republican strategists tend to agree that the entire race will come down to just four or five swing states, the LA Times reports: Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia, and maybe Florida. Polls show Obama...

Pennsylvania Rule Change by GOP May Doom Obama

Kevin Spak — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:00:06 CDT

Pennsylvania Republicans are proposing a radical change in how the state divvies up its electoral votes that could have a huge impact on the 2012 election. The plan, which is being championed by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and already has the governor’s support, would switch Pennsylvania from a winner-take-all...

GOP Election-Law Rewrites Pose Threat to Dems

Matt Cantor — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:32:52 CDT

Pennsylvania’s Republicans aren’t the only ones instituting voting laws likely to hurt Democrats. Some 12 states have begun requiring voters to carry picture ID; Florida and Ohio have reduced early-voting time; and Florida has cracked down on ex-felons voting, the Washington Post reports. Republicans say they want to cut voter...

Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground

Harry Kimball — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:42:43 CDT

Opponents of the Electoral College are making progress on an end run around the institution with the goal of setting up a system that would decide the presidential election solely on the popular vote, Tara Ross writes for the Weekly Standard . “Formally eliminating the Electoral College through a constitutional amendment...

Texas Wants to Secede? That Sounds Great!

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:31:12 CDT

Rick Perry’s talk of seceding from the union might seem crazy, but calling the Texas governor's bluff would be a great deal for Democrats, writes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. Consider: Democrats would suddenly have a filibuster-proof majority in the 98-seat Senate. Republicans would lose eight more House members than...

Pelosi Sacks Fla. Rep's Plea to Delay Votes for Gator Game

Peter Fearon — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:57:39 CST

A Florida congressman asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to postpone certifying the election of Barack Obama and other business so the Florida and Oklahoma delegations can attend the Gators and Sooners BCS championship game tomorrow, AP reports. "Madam Speaker, kindly consider," Republican Cliff Stearns pleaded in a handwritten note.

Electoral College Needs Rehab

Nick McMaster — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:32:46 CST

The 538 electors chosen to represent the will of the people cast their ballots for president today, officially ending the contest between Barack Obama and John McCain, writes Randall Lane for the New York Times . The otherwise-predictable ritual included a twist: a Nebraska elector voting for the candidate who won...