U.S. Electoral College vote for Obama presidential elections official

Dec। 15, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (former right) in Chicago, held a news conference to announce the new government list of the team environment, energy, in which Chinese scientists, Nobel Prize winner Steven Chu (middle), was formally nominated as Minister of Energy. Xinhua News Agency / Reuters Xinhua Washington on December 15 (Reporter Wang Wei Yang Qingchuan) United States 538 members of the Electoral College on the 15th in the national capital of the 50 states and Washington, DC, the capital of the voting, election official Obama for the 44th U.S. president. According to the results of the vote, Obama with 365 votes to 173 votes to defeat Republican presidential candidate John McCain, with the November 4 presidential election results of the vote exactly the same. Legally speaking, the U.S. president elected by the Electoral College is not elected directly by voters, was more than half of the electoral votes are to be elected president. Voters in the general election day to vote, not only in the choice of presidential candidates, but also elected representatives of the 50 states and Washington, DC, the 538 electors to form the Electoral College. Washington, DC, and the vast majority of states are "winner-take-all" rule, that is, the state or the SAR's electoral votes in the state to grant full access to the SAR, or a relative majority of votes of the presidential candidates. The voters elected to be sworn in when the Electoral College vote to vote for the candidate to win the state. Therefore, the results of the election are usually in the general election polling day will be calculated in accordance with state election results. Under the program, the United States but also in the Senate and House of Representatives on January 6 next year to hold a joint meeting, the Electoral College vote count, announced the winner, now president-elect of the new procedures would be completed. However, a long time, the U.S. presidential election is usually the outcome of the election on polling day is a foregone conclusion, Congress and the Electoral College vote counting is only rites of the process, would not make sense.
12月15日，美国当选总统奥巴马（前右一）在芝加哥举行的新闻发布会上宣布新政府能源环境团队名单，其中华裔科学家、诺贝尔物理学奖得主朱棣文（中）被正式提名为能源部长。 新华社/路透
新华网华盛顿１２月１５日电（记者杨晴川　王薇）美国选举人团５３８名成员１５日分别在全国５０个州的首府和首都华盛顿特区投票，正式选举奥巴马为美国第４４任总统。
根据投票结果，奥巴马以３６５票对１７３票战胜共和党总统候选人麦凯恩，这与１１月４日的大选选民投票结果完全一致。
从法律上说，美国总统由选举人团选举产生，并非由选民直接选举产生，获得半数以上选举人票者当选总统。选民在大选日投票时，不仅要在总统候选人当中选择，而且要选出代表５０个州和华盛顿特区的５３８名选举人，以组成选举人团。绝大多数州和华盛顿特区均实行“胜者全得”规则，即把本州或特区的选举人票全部给予在本州或特区获得相对多数选民票的总统候选人。当选的选举人必须宣誓在选举人团投票时把票投给在该州获胜的候选人。因此大选结果通常在大选投票日当天便可根据各州选举结果算出。
根据程序，美国参众两院还要在明年１月６日举行联席会议，清点选举人团投票结果，宣布获胜者，至此新总统当选程序才算全部完成。但长期以来，美国总统选举结果通常在大选投票日就已成定局，选举人团投票和国会点票只是礼仪性的程序，并无实际意义。