The Electoral College

Planned This chapter has not been written. It is listed so the book shows its full scope.

The question

How far is the tipping-point state from the popular vote, and how many states are competitive?

The data

• State presidential returnsYears: 1976-2024 (13 elections)
• County election returnsYears: President 1868-2024 (40 elections); House and Senate 1990-2024

state-returnscounty-returns

The scope

Places Each row of the data is a place such as a county or a neighborhood, so results describe places. They do not describe the people in them.

The chapter sits in Part X, The nationalized map, the political map. Its unit of analysis is places. See how the book treats evidence.

The part has an explorer: Elections, 1976 to 2024.