Electoral College

• The Electoral College isn't an institution of higher learning.king"s college front image by Mograph from Fotolia.com
  
  U.S. presidential races are decided by the Electoral College. Each state has electors to the college based on the number of representatives it sends to the Senate and House of Representatives. There are 100 senators, two for each state; 435 members of Congress, apportioned according to population; and three electors from the District of Columbia for a total of 538. Candidates need 270 votes in the Electoral College to win.
  
  

Winner Takes All

• You don't get any points for coming in second.softball,sports image by Neil Denize from Fotolia.com
  
  In 48 states, the candidate with the most votes wins all of that state's votes in the Electoral College. Two states, Nebraska and Maine, send select electors according to votes in the Congressional district. Florida, with 27 Electoral College votes, contains 10 percent of the winning total.
  
  

Swing States

• Some states are red states.north carolina outline image by Kim Jones from Fotolia.com
  
  Many states vote reliably for one party or the other. Utah, for example, is reliably Republican. New Jersey votes predominantly for Democratic Party candidates. Florida is not one of those states. It has, historically, been a swing state. According to 270toWin, "influxes of Cubans, retirees, service workers to the theme park economy booming near Orlando and other groups have resulted in a state much more diversified -- both economically and politically -- than many of its southern brethren." As a result, although still leaning slightly Republican, Florida is today seen as perhaps the ultimate swing state, with its population a microcosm of the country as a whole. Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan are also considered swing states. Florida, however, is the largest swing state. It trails California, which has trended Democrat in recent years and has 55 Electoral College votes; Texas, with 34 votes and mostly Republican; and New York, with 31 votes.
  
  

Electoral Math

• Any way you count it, it must get to 270.old math game image by peter Hires Images from Fotolia.com
  
  A credible presidential candidate must find a way to come up with 270 votes. Both sides typically start with a batch of states widely considered to be safest for its candidate. Then, the candidates use polls to tally which "lean" toward their candidate--states that aren't a sure thing, but can be won with minimal effort. Next are the toss-up states, which require more significant investment. The math, according to one Los Angeles Times article, can sometimes fill a classroom blackboard. But in the end, a handful of states are truly contested. These are the swing states.
  
  

Bush vs. Gore

• Bush vs. Gore went to the Supreme Court.US Supreme Court image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
  
  Underscoring the importance of the winner-takes-all aspect of the electoral math is the case of Bush vs. Gore in the 2000 election. Florida's results were too close to call on Election Day. Neither George W. Bush nor Al Gore had 270 votes, but winning Florida would push either man over the top. What followed was a contentious recount that went to the Supreme Court. The nation watched a manual recount and disputes over machines that failed to record votes and other irregularities. The recount ultimately declared Bush the winner, and he went on to become president with 271 Electoral College votes to Gore's 267.