If you’re like me, the conclusion of the 2008 election can’t come soon enough. The barrage of political advertisements and signs will disappear for the next couple of years. As citizens, it is our duty to participate in the process and be informed.

Every four years, the Little White House in Key West has an informative exhibit of the electoral process for the presidency. The exhibit this year will be on display through November 30th.

This year’s campaign has been the longest in history. And as we saw in 2000, more individual votes do not necessarily translate into a victory. The Electoral College actually elects the president in mid-December, a citizen votes for the slate of electors for their state. So in essence, the presidential election is actually 50 separate state elections. A candidate needs 270 of the 538 available electoral votes to be elected.

So how is this accomplished? Each state has a certain number of electors based on the number of representatives they have, plus 2 senators. Florida for instance has 25 representatives in Congress so the grand total of electoral votes for Florida is 27. A candidate must win the popular vote in enough states to get to 270.

The exhibit has interesting electoral history and explains the process in great detail, from beginning to end. If you will be visiting Key West this month, this exhibit at the Harry S. Truman Little White House will help you gain a good understanding of how the process works.

All with the benefit of the sun and fun atmosphere of Key West!