ELECTORAL VOTES 18

2012 ELECTION Swing State New! 2012 Ohio Polls >>

ABOUT
OHIO

2010 Census Reapportionment: Ohio will lose two electoral votes, giving it 18 for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. This is the 5th consecutive Census where Ohio has lost one or more electoral votes.



Ohio was the first state admitted under the Northwest Ordinance, entering the Union in March 1803. It participated in its first presidential election in 1804. Ohio is a swing state, and has been a battleground in recent elections due to the closeness of the vote and its wealth of electoral votes (currently 18). This was particularly true in 2004, when Ohio put George W. Bush over the top in a close 2 percent victory over John Kerry. 2008 saw Barack Obama defeating John McCain by 5 points, 52% to 47%. In recent elections, the Buckeye State has proved itself to be a remarkably good predictor of the election winner. Since 1944, Ohioans have sided with the losing candidate only once – opting for Nixon over Kennedy in 1960. Ohio has been losing population (relative to the country as a whole) and it has lost about 1/3 of its electoral vote clout since the 1960s.