Red or blue?

London-based business rag The Economist has created a global version of the US Electoral College, based on the population of each country.

The magazine hopes to stimulate online brand engagement through the effort, which leverages overseas interest in the US election — a "closely watched contest" worldwide, said VP Ron Diorio of product and community development in New York.

"We thought it would be fun and a bit of an education to let the world vote for the next American president [based on] US Electoral College rules," he added.

China gets 1900 votes for its population of 1.1 billion; India, in contrast, gets 1588 votes. Small countries, like Vatican City or the Bahamas, get three votes each. And per United States tribal lore, countries are also characterized as "blue" or "red," depending on whether Senators John McCain or Barack Obama are leading there.

"In our electoral college, if Obama and McCain were running for world president, they would be pandering to China, India and Indonesia," said Diorio.

"We're trying to recognize that the U.S. has a significant role in the world's economy and politics and offer people a way to get a little bit off their chest."

The website will be promoted globally with ads that mimic partisan print work. A tagline follows, "Now the world can vote." Below are variants that, in The Economist's sublime marketing style, support Obama and McCain, respectively:

The effort will also be promoted on Economist.com, as well as on YouTube and on social networks like Facebook.

The ads and microsite were created by Eight Partnership, a marketing consultancy based in Hong Kong. Charles Brian-Boys of Eight Partnership called the US Election "biggest story of the year for American readers […] of intense interest to readers everywhere."

Users must register online to participate in the Global Electoral College. Purchasing a subscription to The Economist is not necessary. The site updates every time 10 new votes are made, according to Advertising Age.

Votes may be cast until November 4, at which point a winner will be declared — just in time for US citizens to begin casting their actual ballots.