After the shenanigans of the 2000 and 2004 elections, it was nice to have a well run, relatively glitch free election in 2008.  It is also weird to live in a state (North Carolina) that was heavily a red state in the past two elections and became slightly blue this election.

The numbers and statistics from this presidential election compared to the two previous presidential elections is rather amazing on a federal and state level.

President-elect Barack Obama had more votes cast for him than President George W. Bush in either 2000 or 2004.  According to the Federal Election Commission, the official vote total for George W. Bush in the 2000 election was 50,999,897 or 48.38 percent of the total vote to Al Gore’s 50,456,002 or 47.87 percent.  In 2004, Bush got 62,040,610 total in the popular vote to John Kerry’s 59,028,444. That’s 50.23 percent to 48.27 percent

In the current election, Obama received 62,704,84 vote total and 52 percent of the popular vote to John McCain’s 55,563,444 vote total and 46 percent of the vote.  Compared to the two previous elections, Obama won a decisive victory without the aid of The Supreme Court, vote recounts, or major voting machine glitches.

Barack Obama also got more electoral votes than Bush did.  Obama received 349 electoral votes (with North Carolina and Missouri still not decided) to Bush’s 271 in 2000 and 286 electoral votes in 2004.  Even though North Carolina and Missouri are still not officially counted, it looks as if President elect Obama will pick up another 15 electoral votes from North Carolina.

Here is where the slightly blue comes in.  In 2000, 59 percent of North Carolina’s registered voters turned out to vote and 56 percent of those voters voted for George W. Bush.  In 2004, 64 percent  of eligible NC voters showed up at the polls and gave President Bush 56 percent of the vote.

In 2008, North Carolina turned out its largest number of voters, and one of the highest percentages 68.37 percent since 1984 and the results are remarkable.  This solidly “red state” in 2000 and 2004, has given Obama a slight edge 49.67 percent over John McCain’s 49.40 percent.  North Carolina has turned pale blue.

Another amazing statistic is that in 2008, more North Carolinians  voted for Barack Obama, 2,110,285, than voted for George W. Bush in 2004, 1,961,166 or 2000, 1,631,163.  Actually, John McCain got more North Carolina votes than President Bush ever has with 2,098,595.

According to the criteria set by the current Bush administration, it looks as if President Elect Barack Obama will enter the presidency with a clear mandate- reverse the Bush years.

North Carolina State Board of Elections and Federal Election Commission

Photo: Election Map from The New York Times

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 2:03 pm under Opinion.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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