US Presidential Elections / 24 crore votes, but how can the game be played even with a few thousand?

US Presidential Elections: America, one of the most powerful countries in the world, is once again in the decisive phase of the presidential election. This time American citizens will vote on November 5, but it is difficult to guess who will win. It is also possible that this election is decided by a very narrow margin, and either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris becomes the president by a few thousand votes.

However, this will not be the first time in the US election. In 2020, Joe Biden won the election by a margin of just 0.03% of the votes, while a total of 15 crore votes were cast that year. Earlier in 2016, Donald Trump also emerged victorious by a similarly narrow margin. This time, about 7 crore out of 24 crore voters have already voted through early voting, and such a small margin can prove to be decisive again. The biggest reason behind this is America's unique electoral system, the most important part of which is the Electoral College.

Electoral System of America

The electoral system of America has a total of 538 electors or representatives, which are decided on the basis of the population of each state. For example, California has 55 electoral votes while Wyoming has only 3. Any candidate needs 270 electoral votes to become president. Many of these states are already in favor of one party, while some states are uncertain, which are called swing states. This time, there are seven such swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina. The 93 electoral votes of these states can prove to be very decisive and candidates pay special attention to them.

Importance of swing states

The winner of the presidential election in America is not always the candidate who gets the most votes, but only the one who touches the figure of 270 out of 538 votes of the Electoral College wins. Out of 50 states, 48 ​​have a 'winner takes all' system. For example, if Trump wins more than California's 55 electoral votes, all 55 votes will go to his account. This increases the importance of swing states even more, because both candidates have a chance of winning here, and these states can make the result decisive.

Historic victories by narrow margins in US elections

In the 2020 election, the competition between Biden and Trump was tough. More than 15 crore votes were cast, but the decision was made by just 42,918 votes, which was only 0.03% of the total votes. Biden won by a slight lead in swing states like Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin, which helped him reach 306 electoral votes. Similarly, in the 2016 election, Trump won by a narrow margin of 0.06%, while 13.7 crore votes were cast.

The 2000 election was also the most controversial election in American history. The contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore was so close that 537 votes in Florida decided the election result. This slight difference led to allegations of election rigging and the matter reached the Supreme Court, where 4 out of 5 judges decided in favor of Bush. This election is counted among the elections won by the smallest margin in America.

Conclusion

The result of the US presidential election is surprising every time due to the Electoral College and swing states. Where the President is elected not by general voting but by electoral vote, this system adds a unique and interesting aspect to the democratic structure. Now it remains to be seen who among Trump and Harris reaches the magical figure of 270 this time and makes his place in the White House.