posted 06 November 2008 11:05 PM
A very pedantic point: Barack Obama has not yet been elected President of the US.
Obama and Biden will be elected on December 15th: this is when the electoral college meets to vote for the President and for the Vice-President. On November 4th, nobody voted for Obama or for McCain: each individual American voter voted for a slate of pledged electors*, not for the President or Vice-President. It is the electors who elect the President and VP, not the people. And the electors will do that on Dec. 15th.
*This is a bit inaccurate: in 48 of the states and in the District of Columbia, this is what happens. In Maine and Nebraska, they don't have the same winner-takes-all system. Places like Guam and Puerto Rico do not have any electors, so US citizens residing there do not even get an indirect vote for the President.
posted 07 November 2008 03:11 AM
And DC has only had the vote in presidential elections since 1964.
Guam, Puerto Rico, etc. are not part of the US, so they don't vote for electors just as the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, etc. don't have representation in the UK Parliament.
From: BC (sort of) | Registered: Jun 2005
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josh
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2938
posted 07 November 2008 07:07 AM
Actually, we won't know for sure until January 8, when the vote is read in Congress.
And Obama is still alive for one of the electoral votes in Nebraska. The congressional district located in Omaha and its environs is a dead heat.
[ 07 November 2008: Message edited by: josh ]
From: the twilight zone between the U.S. and Canada | Registered: Aug 2002
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Malcolm
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5168
posted 07 November 2008 05:35 PM
I saw something early on election night that suggested McCain had gotten one of the Maine electors as well - but that was probably preliminary.
From: Regina, SK | Registered: Mar 2004
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josh
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 2938
posted 07 November 2008 05:43 PM
No, Obama got all of Maine's electoral votes. And Obama did end up winning that Nebraska vote.