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Electoral College Trivia

In five days from the publication of this newsletter it will be election day in the US. In honor of the big day, I present a trivia challenge on the electoral college, our antiquated method of choosing a president.

Before I get to that, the betting odds as I write this on Oct 29, with a week to go are roughly:

Trump: -200

Harris: +175

If we squeeze out the juice, it suggests Harris has a 35.3% chance of winning.

I have a long tradition of betting on elections, going back to 1996 (Clinton vs. Dole). That said, I think getting +175 on Harris has good value. I don’t promise the bet will win. I do think the election will be very close and will all hinge on Pennsylvania, which iswill also be extremely close. In other words, I think Harris has more than a 35.3% chance of winning. I’d put it around 45%. Of course, I make no promises and if you choose to follow my advice, do so in moderation.

 
kamala
Image source: Wikipedia

Questions

  1. 1. What is the total number of votes in the Electoral College?
  2. 2. How is it determined how many votes each state gets?
  3. 3. Which two states do not “winner take all” for purposes of assigning it’s electors.
  4. 4. How many votes does Washington DC get?
  5. 5. What happens in the event no candidate gets a majority of the vote in the Electoral College?
  6. 6. For purposes of counting a state’s population to determine the number of representatives, how were slaves treated per the “Great Compromise of 1787.”
  7. 7. How many faithless electors were there in the 2016 election?
  8. 8. Who won the most faithless electoral votes in the 2016 election?
  9. 9. Besides Hilary Clinton, which woman won at least one vote in the 2016 election, via a faithless elector?
  10. 10. Before 2022, what was the process to challenge a state’s electoral vote count?
  11. 11. What changed in 2022?
  12. 12. Which two elections had unanimous Electoral College winners?
  13. 13. How many times has there been an electoral college tie?
  14. 14. Besides the United States, what other countries use an electoral college system to determine its leader?
 
trump
Image source: Wikipedia

Answers

  1. 1. 538
  2. 2. Sum of the number of Congressional Representatives and Senators.
  3. 3. Maine and Nebraska
  4. 4. 3. This is determined as the number of electors it would get if it were a state.
  5. 5. The US House of Representatives will vote to decide the president, with each state getting one vote. If the delegation from a state has a tie, then it shall not get a vote. Likewise, the Senate choose the vice president.
  6. 6. Each slave was counted as 3/5 of a person.
  7. 7. 10
  8. 8. Colin Powell, with 3.
  9. 9. Faith Spotted Eagle
  10. 10. At least one Representative and Senator had to support the challenge in writing. Then it would go to each house for debate, with a majority in math chambers being necessary to invalidate that state’s vote.
  11. 11. 1/5 of the state’s representatives are required to sign a challenge, as opposed to just one person.
  12. 12. 1788 and 1792 (George Washington won both)
  13. 13. Once, in 1800
  14. 14. None. Several other countries used to, but abolished it.
 
george
Image source: Wikipedia
 
 

October 24puzzle question:

Three people, Alex, Bob and Cathy, need to cross a bridge. Alex can cross the bridge in 10 minutes, Bob can cross in 5 minutes, and Cathy can cross in 2 minutes. There is also a bicycle available. Any person can cross the bridge in 1 minute with the bicycle. What is the shortest time that all men can get across the bridge?

October 24 puzzle answer:

73/25 =~ 2.92 minutes

October 24 puzzle solution:

A's speed is 1/10 (in bridges per minute), B's speed is 1/5, C's speed is 1/2, and the bicycle's speed is 1.

It stands to reason that all men should finish at the same time. I can't explain why this is true, it just makes common sense.

I strongly believe that the fastest way to get everyone across is for B and C to start out on foot and A to start out with the bicycle. At a point y, A will get off the bicycle and walk the rest of the way. Eventually C will get to the bicycle abandoned by A, then ride backwards to a point x, leaving the bicycle there, then turning around and walk until he reaches the end. Person B will walk until he reaches the bicycle left by C and then ride the rest of the way.

Below are the times that each will take to cross, in terms of x and y:

A: 1*y + 10*(1-y)

B: 5*x + 1*(1-x)

C: 2*y + (y-x) + 2*(1-x)

Next equate these equations: 10 - 9y = -3x + 3y + 2 = 4x + 1.

To solve set up two linear equations:

10 - 9y = -3x + 3y + 2 -> 3x - 12y = -8

10 - 9y = 4x + 1 -> 4x + 9y = 9

Then solve for x and y:

x = 12/25, y=59/75.

Given these points it will take each person 73/25 = 2.92 minutes to cross.

 
 

October 31 question:

You have three 60-minute fuses. The fuses burn at uneven rates. You don't have a watch. How can you create a 45-minute fuse?