14 0 1,225,938 1,107,849 48.73% 44.04% Start date November 5, 1996 | 0 0 1,107,849 168,059 44.04% 6.68% | |
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The 1996 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on 5 November 1996 as part of the 1996 United States presidential election. Voters in North Carolina chose 14 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice President.
North Carolina was narrowly won by the Republican nominee, Senator Bob Dole of Kansas, defeating incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Dole won with a plurality of 48.73% of the vote to Clinton's 44.04%, a margin of 4.69%.
The Reform Party candidate, billionaire businessman Ross Perot, came in a distant third with 6.68%.
Electors
Technically the voters of NC cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. NC was allocated 14 electors because it had 12 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates that appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 14 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 14 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 following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All were pledged to and voted for Bob Dole and Jack Kemp:
- Howard B. Smith
- Bettie West
- J.D. Teachey
- Nelson Dollar
- Lee Q. McMillan
- Carolyn McGee
- Jim Cole
- Tom Dwiggins
- John Van Hanford
- Gary Whitener
- George Alexander Jones
- Quentine Finch
- Bill Graham
- Dorothy Bursey