Who Is Leading Presidential Polls?

With Election Day 2012 just around the corner, it's clear that this presidential race is one of the tightest this country has ever experienced with neither President Barack Obama nor Gov. Mitt Romney with a strong lead.

In a Sunday (Nov. 4) article, USA Today reports that it's just too close to call. "The average of polls compiled by the Real Clear Politics website gives Obama a lead of 0.2 percent in the popular vote -- 47.4% to 47.2%. That would leave 5.4% undecided."

Real Clear Politics now lists 11 states as toss-ups, totaling 146 electoral votes."

To win the presidency, it's electorial votes that decide the outcome which makes states such as Ohio and Virginia (swing states), which are more evenly decided among Democratic and Republican voters, paramount for each of the candidates.

A candidate needs at least 270 electorial votes. The latest polls show Obama with 201 electorial and Romney with 191. If a candidate wins the majority of the popular vote, he wins all of the electorial votes for that state.

Below is a list of the states and the number of electorial votes each has. The top 11 states have a controlling majority. (Provided by Wiki Answers)

California - 55
Texas - 38
New York - 29
Florida - 29
Illinois - 20
Pennsylvania - 20
Ohio - 18
Michigan - 16
Georgia - 16
North Carolina - 15
New Jersey - 14
Virginia - 13
Washington - 12
Massachusetts - 11
Indiana - 11
Tennessee - 11
Arizona - 11
Missouri - 10
Maryland - 10
Minnesota - 10
Wisconsin - 10
Alabama - 9
Colorado - 9
South Carolina - 9
Louisiana - 8
Kentucky - 8
Connecticut - 7
Oklahoma - 7
Oregon - 7
Iowa - 6
Arkansas - 6
Kansas - 6
Mississippi - 6
Nevada - 6
Utah - 6
Nebraska - 5
New Mexico - 5
West Virginia - 5
Hawaii - 4
Idaho - 4
Maine - 4
New Hampshire - 4
Rhode Island - 4
Alaska - 3
Delaware - 3
District Of Columbia - 3
Montana - 3
North Dakota - 3
South Dakota - 3
Vermont - 3
Wyoming - 3

More on the elections

• Gwinnett 2012 Election Guide
• Can This Quiz Help You Pick the Right Candidate?
• What Your Vote on the Charter School Amendment Means
• Who's on the Ballot in Gwinnett County?

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