Could someone re-explain the logic and use of electoral college

[TheNinja]

in today's society? I am from California. My vote for president doesn't amount to diddly poo b/c California is going to vote democrat anyway. Seriously, my vote for President is worthless, might as well not vote. Only a few swing state voters really matter, the rest of us (like 75% of us) our votes don't matter.

 

[nehalem256]

If enough Democrats in California decided their vote didnt count...

 

[TheUnk]

in today's society? I am from California. My vote for president doesn't amount to diddly poo b/c California is going to vote democrat anyway. Seriously, my vote for President is worthless, might as well not vote. Only a few swing state voters really matter, the rest of us (like 75% of us) our votes don't matter.

While I agree that EC needs to go, it's this sort of thinking that continues to make your vote worthless.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

It's a way to keep balance between big urban centers and rural areas. If all that mattered were the popular vote, candidates would focus solely on major population centers; big cities. I'm sure people in rural communities would be upset if they were so underrepresented as a demographic. Then again, you don't want people in low-population areas to have a disparity of power per vote as compared to people in high-population areas either. You need balance. The electoral college provides some semblance of that.

Realisitically, it could be improved, particularly if it were done by county/district rather than how most states do it, a popular vote for all the electoral votes that state has. But that still has a way of amplifying the voting power of rural counties, so it's not a perfect solution either.

 

[TheNinja]

While I agree that EC needs to go, it's this sort of thinking that continues to make your vote worthless.

Not really. There simply are not enough voters who will vote republican in California to overcome the dems and take the EC votes. It has nothing to do with my thinking, it's straight up fact. And in sticking with my Jim E. Mora clips, it's horseshit. I’m totally embarrassed and totally ashamed.

 

[nehalem256]

Advantages to EC:

(1) Requires a candidate to have a broad base of support.

(2) Imagine a Florida 2000 scenario, but over the entire US.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Vote for a third party then. May as well. Also ballot amendments and local races are still important.

I'm in Minnesota where it's largely the same story. The votes I was most excited about were the ballot amendments - voted NO on both because I love freedom.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Advantages to EC:

(1) Requires a candidate to have a broad base of support.

(2) Imagine a Florida 2000 scenario, but over the entire US.

What are the chances of the national popular vote being that close though? It's harder to fake 500,000 votes than it is to fake 5,000.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

That's not a problem with the EC per se, rather with your state's winner take all way of appointing it's electoral votes. Take it up with them.

 

[dank69]

... I’m totally embarrassed and totally ashamed.

You should be. I'm sorry not enough people in your state are as stupid as you when it comes to deciding who to vote for.

 

[AstroManLuca]

That's not a problem with the EC per se, rather with your state's winner take all way of appointing it's electoral votes. Take it up with them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact



I hope more states do this. I bet some of the more Republican-leaning ones would if Romney manages to win the popular vote but lose the electoral college.

 

[airdata]

I voted for obama in 08, mccain won my state, my electoral votes went to mccain. So my vote counted for nothing.

The electoral college is just an added layer of bullshit surrounding the already complex election process to maintain the illusion of choice.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I voted for obama in 08, mccain won my state, my electoral votes went to mccain. So my vote counted for nothing.

The electoral college is just an added layer of bullshit surrounding the already complex election process to maintain the illusion of choice.

Interesting point I read about earlier this year. The electoral college allows disenfranchisement to go unnoticed. If you prevent a bunch of people from going to the polls, it doesn't reduce your state's influence at all. Doesn't matter if you have 5% turnout or 65% turnout, the electoral votes remain the same.

With a straight up national popular vote, that problem (and a zillion others) will go away. I don't know why we haven't gotten rid of it already.

 

[WHAMPOM]

in today's society? I am from California. My vote for president doesn't amount to diddly poo b/c California is going to vote democrat anyway. Seriously, my vote for President is worthless, might as well not vote. Only a few swing state voters really matter, the rest of us (like 75% of us) our votes don't matter.

Tradition, like the penny costing more to make then it buys.

 

[techs]

People seem to have forgotten the historical reason for the Electoral College which is that is was a compromise between those who wanted direct election of the President and those who wanted Congress to elect the President when the Constitution was being drafted.

 

[ichy]

IMO getting rid of the winner take all system and allocating electoral votes proportionally would be much easier than eliminating the EC and get rid of most of the problems associated with it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

IMO getting rid of the winner take all system and allocating electoral votes proportionally would be much easier than eliminating the EC and get rid of most of the problems associated with it.

That's true, and the fact that two states have already done this would make things easier. Repealing the electoral college would require a constitutional amendment which, let's face it, will never happen.

The other option is that electoral college popular vote compact.

 

[diesbudt]

EC is out of date.

It used to be done for the older days when we didn't have faster than light communication and such.

However it is in the constitution, and people hate whenever someone speaks up about updating or changing it.

 

[TheNinja]

IMO getting rid of the winner take all system and allocating electoral votes proportionally would be much easier than eliminating the EC and get rid of most of the problems associated with it.

That seems like the most fair and easy way to do it. It still helps balance it between popular votes and EC b/c in states where there is an odd number of votes someone could still squeak out an EC vote by a fraction of a %.


Example, 11 EC votes
Repubs vote 50.1% of popular vote for the state
Dems vote 49.9% of popular votes for the state


As it stands now, Repubs would get 100% of the EC votes, making the 49.9% of dem voters worthless and pointless.

Going by % - Repubs get 6 EC votes (54 1/2% of EC), Dems get 5 EC votes (45 1/2% of EC). So Rs still "win" the state and get an extra 4.4% gain too but the dems votes still matter.

It would get tricky with write ins and 3rd party though, but again, you would just use simple percentages. It could work people!

 

[techs]

That's true, and the fact that two states have already done this would make things easier. Repealing the electoral college would require a constitutional amendment which, let's face it, will never happen.

The other option is that electoral college popular vote compact.

Never going to happen since there is no way to ensure that a state won't change its mind when it sees it can change the outcome.
In fact, all the citizens of many states have to do is put a State Constitutional Amendment on the ballot at the same time as the Presidential election compelling the state not to obey the compact and it falls apart

 

[AstroManLuca]

EC is out of date.

It used to be done for the older days when we didn't have faster than light communication and such.

However it is in the constitution, and people hate whenever someone speaks up about updating or changing it.

holy shit when did we get faster than light communication?!?!?!?!?

 

[Charles Kozierok]

People seem to have forgotten the historical reason for the Electoral College which is that is was a compromise between those who wanted direct election of the President and those who wanted Congress to elect the President when the Constitution was being drafted.

Please don't troll a thread filled with emotion-laden ignorance by interjecting facts and history. Thanks.

 

[dawp]

in today's society? I am from California. My vote for president doesn't amount to diddly poo b/c California is going to vote democrat anyway. Seriously, my vote for President is worthless, might as well not vote. Only a few swing state voters really matter, the rest of us (like 75% of us) our votes don't matter.

you could do a little party building and vote 3rd party, if that can get up to 5%, they will get federal funding for the next election.

that's what I did, my state is solidly red and most likely going Romney so I went green with Jill stein.

 

[diesbudt]

holy shit when did we get faster than light communication?!?!?!?!?

Didn't you hear? I get information 2s before it actually begins. Time travel information.

And that was a mistypo, I mean as fast as light, wasnt thinking when typed.

 

[SlowSpyder]

The electoral college make it so individual states have a say. Otherwise it would just be how the overall population of the country voted.