10 0 56.6% 40.2% | 1,145,782 813,797 Start date November 7, 2000 | |
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The 2000 United States presidential election in Maryland took place on November 7, 2000. Maryland participated in the 2000 presidential election along with the 49 other U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Voters chose 10 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for the President and Vice President.
Maryland was easily won by Vice President Al Gore by a safe margin of victory. Gore's victory in the state is contributed to his strong performance the highest populated counties of the states, which is the home of many urban and African American communities. Maryland was also the only state in the election, along with Washington, D.C., to swing more Democratic than it had been in 1996, even though Gore improved percentage wise in several other states from the last election.
Electors
Technically the voters of Maryland cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. Maryland is allocated 10 electors because it has 8 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 10 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 10 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for President and Vice President. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 18, 2000 to cast their votes for President and Vice President. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for Gore and Lieberman:
- Clarence W. Blount
- Gene W. Counihan
- Howard Friedman
- Mary Ann E. Love
- Thomas V. Mike Miller
- Mary Butler Murphy
- Mary Jo Neville
- Gregory Pecoraro
- Ina Taylor
- Beatrice P. Tignor