UPDATE-6: Obama, first black president, clinches electoral votes

Nov 5, 2008, 3:13 GMT

   Washington - Democrat Barack Obama was elected the next president of the United States over Republican John McCain, capturing the 270 votes needed to prevail in the Electoral College, according to projections by major US news networks.

   The complex electoral college system awards each of the 50 states' and the District of Columbia's electoral votes to the candidate who prevails in the state's popular vote. A candidate needs 270 votes to clinch the White House.

There are 538 total electoral votes available, but results were still not in from a handful of states. At least two television networks have projected the winner in the following states: <#>

OBAMA:        Votes

Vermont         3 Illinois        21 Maine           4 Connecticut     7 New Jersey      15 Delaware        3 Maryland        10 Washington DC   3 Pennsylvania    21 New Hampshire   4 Massachusetts   12 Rhode Island    4 Michigan        17 Wisconsin       10 Minnesota       10 New York        31 Ohio            20 New Mexico      5 Iowa            7 Virginia 13 California 55 Oregon 7 Washington 11 __________________ TOTAL:         293

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MCCAIN:

Kentucky        8 South Carolina  8 Tennessee       11 Oklahoma        7 Alabama         9 Georgia         15 Wyoming         3 North Dakota    3 Arkansas        6 Kansas          6 West Virginia   5 Louisiana       9 Texas           34 Utah            5 Mississippi     6 Nebraska 5 South Dakota 3 __________________ TOTAL           142

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