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Re: Results of Poll by Email No. 18

From:Thomas R. Wier <trwier@...>
Date:Monday, July 15, 2002, 2:11
Quoting Andrew Chaney <adchaney@...>:

> on 14/7/02 15:42, Thomas R. Wier (trwier@UCHICAGO.EDU) wrote: > > >> Generally speaking, it's my understanding that the word majority > >> refers by default to an absolute majority only, so if the NAmericans > >> have only a relative majority, they don't have a majority at all, [snip] > > > > Correct. In American political usage at least, Presidents must win > > a majority of the Electoral College, but they need only win a plurality > > of the popular vote. This political usage usually carries over into > > other usages as well. > > They don't have to win anything in the popular vote. The president is > elected by the electors, not the populace.
I realized that I was being unclear as soon I received my own post. I meant something along the lines of "for practical purposes". As the last election showed, you don't have to win a plurality of the popular vote across the country, but you do have to win a plurality in enough key states to win in the Electoral College. The fact is, for practical purposes, except in *very* close races (like those 1800, 1824, 1876, and 2000), you *do* have to have a plurality of the popular vote. ===================================================================== Thomas Wier "...koruphàs hetéras hetére:isi prosápto:n / Dept. of Linguistics mú:tho:n mè: teléein atrapòn mían..." University of Chicago "To join together diverse peaks of thought / 1010 E. 59th Street and not complete one road that has no turn" Chicago, IL 60637 Empedocles, _On Nature_, on speculative thinkers