ELECTION 2008: What will be the ELECTORAL MARGIN between Obama and McCain?

When the 2008 Presidential election is over, what will be the difference in the Electoral Votes won. For example candidate "A" wins 344 EV's and candidate "B" wins 164 EV's, the winning margin would be 180.
{ 344 - 164 = 180} So will this be a close contest or a blowout?

When you vote Nov. 4 you'll be selecting electors from the presidential candidate's political party who, in turn, will meet Dec. 15 in Lansing and other state capitals to convene the Electoral College.

Those are the people who will vote for president. The electors usually meet in each state's capital. The outcome is normally a cinch since electors represent the candidate with the most votes cast in the state. The results will be formally announced in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 6.
Enrollment

There are 538 electors from 50 states and Washington, D.C. Each state gets an elector for each U.S. House district plus one for each senator.

Michigan has 15 districts plus two senators -- 17 electors, or 17 electoral votes.

The number of electors needed to win: 270.
That college try

Writers of the Constitution figured this plan would give equal weight to each state. It doesn't, of course. California, the most populous state, has 55 electoral votes. Nearby Wyoming, the least populous state, has 3.

Faith-based decision: Constitution framers also lacked faith in the U.S. electorate, fearing it might tap a loose cannon -- or a populous state would tap a favorite son. A more sedate group of electors would make the correct choice, they reasoned. But now numerous states require that electors be bound to vote for the candidate they represent anyway.

Back by unpopular demand: More than 700 proposals to change or ditch the Electoral College have been made in Congress in the past 200 years. And there have been more proposals to amend the Constitution regarding the Electoral College than any other topic.