How the Electoral College Worked in the 2008 U.S. Election

See how Barack Obama’s 2008 victory shows one way the Electoral College can turn state-by-state support into a clear presidential result.

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One example is the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Barack Obama won about 53% of the nationwide popular vote and received 365 Electoral College votes. John McCain received 173 electoral votes.

How the system worked in this election

  1. People voted in their states. Voters chose between candidates, and each state’s results determined how its electoral votes were awarded.
  2. Obama won enough states to reach the goal. He earned 365 electoral votes—well above the 270 needed to win.
  3. The result was decisive. The state-by-state outcome produced a clear winner, rather than requiring a separate nationwide count to decide the presidency.

This is one way supporters say the Electoral College can work well: it organizes the election around states and can produce a clear result. However, one election does not prove the system always works perfectly; in other elections, the electoral-vote winner and the popular-vote winner have differed.

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