Special election results and the race for control
Why do local runoffs in Georgia and Wisconsin matter for Washington? We look at how these high-stakes races shift the balance of power in real time.
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The Electoral College is a mixture of state-based power and population-based power, a constitutional engine that forces candidates to build broad, cross-regional coalitions rather than just winning high-density urban areas.
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The number of electoral votes assigned to each state is equal to its total congressional delegation. This includes two votes for its Senators plus a number of votes equal to its Representatives in the House. Because House seats are based on population data from the census conducted every ten years, the "horsepower" or electoral weight of states can shift over time as people migrate. Every jurisdiction is guaranteed a minimum of three votes, which is why low-population states like Wyoming and Alaska, as well as Washington, D.C., have three votes despite their size.
The winner-take-all rule is a system where the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that state’s electoral votes, regardless of how slim the margin of victory. This is used by 48 states and Washington, D.C. However, Maine and Nebraska use the "Congressional District Method" instead. In these two states, two electoral votes are awarded to the statewide winner, while the remaining votes are distributed based on who wins each individual congressional district. This allows for a split result where multiple candidates can walk away with electoral votes from a single state.
If no candidate reaches the required 270 votes—perhaps due to a third-party candidate splitting the field—the decision moves to a "contingent election" in Congress. The House of Representatives chooses the President, but they do not vote as individuals; instead, each state delegation receives exactly one vote, meaning California and Wyoming would have equal say. Simultaneously, the Senate chooses the Vice President, with each individual Senator casting one vote. This procedure has only been used twice in American history, in 1801 and 1825.
Electors are typically party loyalists, activists, or state officials chosen at party conventions; the Constitution prohibits federal officeholders, like Senators or Representatives, from serving in this role. While they are expected to vote for the candidate they pledged to support, "faithless electors" occasionally vote for someone else. However, the Supreme Court ruled in Chiafalo v. Washington (2020) that states have the power to bind electors to their pledges, meaning states can legally fine, remove, or replace electors who attempt to go rogue.
The NPVIC is a legal agreement among a group of states to award all their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, rather than the winner of their specific state. This compact is designed to ensure the candidate who wins the most individual votes nationwide becomes President without needing a Constitutional amendment. The agreement only goes into effect once enough states join to reach the 270-vote threshold required to elect a president. As of the script's recording, the compact has reached 209 of the necessary 270 votes.
Создано выпускниками Колумбийского университета в Сан-Франциско
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"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
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Создано выпускниками Колумбийского университета в Сан-Франциско
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
