BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Every vote counts on Election Day but it is the outcome of the Electoral College, not the popular vote, which will determine the next president.
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE MAP IS THE NAME OF THE GAME
There are 538 total electoral votes among all the states. A candidate needs 270 — one more than half — to win. The number of votes varies per state, with California getting as many as 54, and smaller states like Vermont and the Dakotas as few as three.
Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York all went Democratic in 2020 and are expected to do so again, giving 35 electoral votes to Vice President Harris.
THE BALANCE OF POWER AT THE VERMONT STATEHOUSE
Control of the Legislature is on the line Tuesday with all 150 House seats and all 30 Senate seats up for grabs.
The balance of power in Montpelier has tilted heavily to Democrats in recent years. In the last biennium, Democrats held 107 seats in the House and GOP members just 37, along with a handful of Progressives, Independents, and Libertarians.
The Senate had a similar blue slant with 22 Democrats and just seven Republicans.
Democrats have had a supermajority and were able to pass bills without much resistance. That led to a record number of vetoes by Governor Phil Scott — 17 in the last two sessions. Democrats have been able to override 12 of those vetoes. Compare that to the eight previous veto overrides in the history of the state.
VERMONT TICKET SPLITTERS
Around election time we hear a lot about blue states and red states, places where the electorate leans heavily toward one party. Vermont is one of those states that is both blue and red, depending on what office voters are considering.
Past results often can predict future outcomes, and when we look at town-by-town voting results for Vermont in the 2020 presidential race, we see a very blue state. Just a handful of communities saw a majority of voters choose Donald Trump.
But in the 2022 governor’s race, as in previous elections, many Democrats split their ticket, giving the Republican governor 71 percent of the vote.
