Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It does what it's exactly supposed to do. Prevent a few states from controlling the country.
It makes it harder, but that isn't its primary function. There are two primary functions. The first, which isn't really relevant these days, is that people do not have any right right to actually vote either directly or indirectly for the President. That's the way we do things, but if a state wanted to determine electoral votes by flipping a coin, they could absolutely do that. That separation from the masses was very much intentional although now it seems odd and perfunctory. The second and still relevant thing is much like how we have the Senate (2 fixed) and House (by population) the electoral college is a compromise on the number of votes states get. Rather than go with either a fixed number of votes, regardless of population, or determining the votes based solely on population, they get the same number of votes as they have representatives.
Anyone with a quarter of a functioning brain in their head would also realize that if both of these candidates spent 18 months running a campaign on targeting popular vote, the entire election would have gone down much differently, and the actual voter turnout would probably have been much different, and nobody has a clue how that would turn out.
My thoughts exactly. They campaigned with the goal of getting EC votes. The popular vote is an accidental byproduct of that. If they campaigned with the goal of getting the most PV, they would've campaigned differently, so no one knows for sure who would win.
Some of these liberals are just too cute...surely there is SOMETHING they can do.
There is something they can do ... they can cross check the signatures on their petition with the SSDI to see how many dead people signed it or how many people from Broward County signed more than once.
I mean seriously why even call this a 'national election' when every damn presidential election turns out the same way where a handful of 'battleground states' decide the fate of the entire country?? Every election all everyone ever cares about is Ohio, Florida, Iowa and the other hand full of 'swing states' that will decide who wins the election. The thing is why can't we just make ONE MINOR CHANGE to the electorical college system so that ALL states matter and ALL the votes cast will matter?
Namely why can't we just change it from winner take all to having theelectorical votes being distributed based on the PERCENTAGE of people who vote for each candidate? This one TINY CHANGE would mean:
- ALL states would be in play and there is no such thing as 'blue' or 'red' states where parties can 100% guarantee certain states to be in their column even before the election begins.
- ALL votes cast in the election by people throughout the entire nation WOULD ACTUALLY MATTER. It doesn't matter if you live in a solidly Democratic or Republican state, you can now still make a difference.
- The results of the election would be MUCH LESS predictable. No longer can you look at the electoral map and say that 'If the Republican candidate doesn't win Florida and Ohio, they are done' even before all the votes from millions of Americans from other states are counted.
- It would mean that third party candidates would be more likely to win some electoral votes. No longer do you have to win an entire state to earn EVs, you can now potentially earn one or two or more in each state if you're popular enough.
Here's how it would work:
Take Texas for example which will likely be always majority Republican. Under the current system, if you're a Dem living in that state, other than adding to the popular vote what's the point of you voting when you know its never going to make a difference?? Texas and its 38 votes will always go in the Republican column. But if you make it so that the EVs of each state are distributed based on how many people actually vote for each candidate, all of a sudden a Democrat's vote in Texas DOES MATTER.
In Texas Trump got 52.6% of the vote so 52.6% of 38 EVs = about 20 EVs
Hillary in Texas got 43.4% of the vote so 43.4% of 38 EVs = about 16 EVs
Gary Johnson in Texas got 3.2% of the vote so 3.2% of 38 EVs = about 1 EVs
So in the new system based on percentage, Trump would've still got most of the EVs in Texas for getting the most votes, BUT Hillary would've also earned some EVs instead of getting nothing and even Gary Johnson would've earned a vote. Do the same thing for California where instead of getting nothing Trump would've gotten 18 EVs from Republicans voting for him there and Johnson would've gotten almost 2 EVs. Or in New York where Trump would've gotten about 11 EVs instead of nothing.
The bottom line is that making a such a simple change to the system would IMMEDIATELY make people's votes from ALL STATES matter and that just because you live in a majority blue or red state it no longer means that you can't still make a difference by going out to vote.
Because our Founding Fathers were geniuses and knew that corruption lie ahead...so they put in measures to stop it. It's been working out very well.
As for "what's the point in voting" if you live in a state that represents the party that is not yours?
Well, you could ask WI, MI, PA...those people might tell you that their states have been blue for a long time, yet every single one of their votes counted. You have battleground states where every vote counts.
Aside from that, you also have local issues to vote on. I'm sure that most of the states out there didn't have the PRESSING issues that this liberal hell hole I'm currently in had regarding if we believe government should be telling people to wear condoms or not...I'm not kidding - I wasn't allowed to photograph the ballot...but it was on there, but nonetheless, you do have your state representatives to vote for, your pressing grocery bag issues to vote for, how much tax you want your state to rob you of....so even if you don't think that your vote counts for President, well a) again, ask the people in WI, MI, and PA if their vote counted and b) local stuff, yo.
You could also just move to another state where your vote will count. I lived in FL one year, my vote counted. I lived in Maine one year...my vote counted. Soon I'll be out of this crap hole..hopefully before they secede because I don't want to be stuck in this place as a different country...dear God what a cess pool it will become. And when I leave, I'll probably end up in a state where, once again, my vote will count.
You not living in a state where your vote counts is not a good enough reason to undo what our Founding Fathers put in to place to prevent corruption and drowning of the voices in all other states.
If we didn't have it one area would get to vote for president each time, no other area would be heard. That makes the politicians campaign in all areas to get their votes, not just big cities or the South or CA only.
Some of you, please, give it up. Really, put the oar down and stop paddling down the river of the denial. The bar is closed and time to sober up and face reality. The election is over.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You did it to yourselves!
