8 million: There are 8 million people who are old enough to vote for the first time in this US election. Nearly half of them, 47%, are non-White voters. Latinos alone account for nearly a quarter of the total.
5: Uniquely among the world’s large democracies, the US presidential election is determined not by a straight-up popular vote but by an electoral college system, in which each state apportions votes to the candidates based on state-level results. This means a candidate can become president without actually winning the nationwide popular vote. This has happened five times in US history – most recently when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016.
270: The golden number in the US presidential election is 270. The candidate that secures 270 electoral college votes – a simple majority of the 538 total electoral college votes up for grabs – is the winner. States are apportioned electoral college votes based on population and congressional representation. California has the most, with 54. Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming are all tied with the fewest, at three each. This year, a huge focus is on Pennsylvania, a key swing state with 19 electoral college votes.
523: The largest electoral college landslide ever came in 1936, when incumbent Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelttrounced GOP challenger Alf Landon 523 to 8 (at the time, there were just 531 votes on offer, because there were only 48 states.)
America’s new National Security Strategy confirms what Europeans have feared for months: Washington now sees a strong, unified European Union as a problem to be solved, not an ally to be supported.
In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.
Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.
More than a week after Hondurans cast their ballots in a presidential election, the country is still stuck in a potentially-dangerous post-election fog.