An oft-heard quote attributed to elections is “Geography is destiny.” The race for the 43rd president of the United States of America is one of the closest race in 40 years.
Both U.S. presidential candidates struck the last day of campaigning hard; which for Gore meant 30 straight stumping hours in some of the most crucial undecided states.
Today’s election is for the popular vote.
The actual election is decided by electoral votes. In this process, the candidate that receives the highest percentage of popular votes tends to receive the electoral votes for that state.
How many electoral votes are needed to win the U.S. presidency?
Out of the 538 possible electoral votes, 270 are needed to win the election.
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The actual presidential election will take place on the Monday following the second Wednesday of December in 2000, as 538 men and women gather in their respective state capitals and cast their ballots in what is known as the electoral vote.
Table: Number of presidential electoral votes per state
| STATE | 1981-1990 | 1991-2000 |
| Alabama |
9 |
9 |
| Alaska |
3 |
3 |
| Arizona |
7 |
8 |
| Arkansas |
6 |
6 |
| California |
47 |
54 |
| Colorado |
8 |
8 |
| Connecticut |
8 |
8 |
| Delaware |
3 |
3 |
| D.C. |
3 |
3 |
| Florida |
21 |
25 |
| Georgia |
12 |
13 |
| Hawaii |
4 |
4 |
| Idaho |
4 |
4 |
| Illinois |
24 |
22 |
| Indiana |
12 |
12 |
| Iowa |
8 |
7 |
| Kansas |
7 |
6 |
| Kentucky |
9 |
8 |
| Louisiana |
10 |
9 |
| Maine |
4 |
4 |
| Maryland |
10 |
10 |
| Massachusetts |
13 |
12 |
| Michigan |
20 |
18 |
| Minnesota |
10 |
10 |
| Mississippi |
7 |
7 |
| Missouri |
11 |
11 |
| Montana |
4 |
3 |
| Nebraska |
5 |
5 |
| Nevada |
4 |
4 |
| New Hampshire |
4 |
4 |
| New Jersey |
16 |
15 |
| New Mexico |
5 |
5 |
| New York |
36 |
33 |
| North Carolina |
13 |
14 |
| North Dakota |
3 |
3 |
| Ohio |
23 |
21 |
| Oklahoma |
8 |
8 |
| Oregon |
7 |
7 |
| Pennsylvania |
25 |
23 |
| Rhode Island |
4 |
4 |
| South Carolina |
8 |
8 |
| South Dakota |
3 |
3 |
| Tennessee |
11 |
11 |
| Texas |
29 |
32 |
| Utah |
5 |
5 |
| Vermont |
3 |
3 |
| Virginia |
12 |
13 |
| Washington |
10 |
11 |
| West Virginia |
6 |
5 |
| Wisconsin |
11 |
11 |
| Wyoming |
3 |
3 |
| Total Votes |
538 |
538 |
Map of the number of electoral votes by state
Based on various polls, the race has been a virtual dead heat. Prior to Election Day, 23 states were leaning towards Bush and 12 states were leaning towards Gore. That left 16 states undecided.
Map of the campaign stops in the last days leading up the 2000 U.S presidential election
Table: location of campaign stops by presidential candidate
| STOP | STATE | CANDIDATE |
STOP ORDER |
| CHATTANOOGA | TN | BUSH |
1 |
| GREENBAY | WI | BUSH |
2 |
| DAVENPORT | IA | BUSH |
3 |
| BENTONVILLE | AK | BUSH |
4 |
| AUSTIN | TX | BUSH |
5 |
| WATERLOO | IA | GORE |
1 |
| ST. LOUIS | MI | GORE |
2 |
| FLINT | MI | GORE |
3 |
| MIAMI BEACH | FL | GORE |
4 |
| TAMPA | FL | GORE |
5 |
| CARTHAGE | TN | GORE |
6 |
| NASHVILLE | TN | GORE |
7 |
Why has the race been so close?
From a geographical perspective, the Republican candidate, George Bush won 10 states that had been won by Bill Clinton in the 1996 Presidential Election.
In contrast, Al Gore was unable to convert any of the 1996 Republican carried states in the 2000 Election.
