Electoral College Destiny?

[soulcougher73]

Actually they are over represented. Way over represented. The two Senators per state gives the low population states a huge over representation. Each Senator from Vermont represents 310 thousand people while each Senator from Texas represents 19 million people. Yet each have one vote in the Senate.

This. You guys really need to watch some videos and learn more about the EC and how it actually functions vs. what was taught in 9th grade econ or history classes 😛

I posted 2 videos last week in some thread. Im sure noone watched them though. Suppose i should start a new thread and put those videos in them but im sure noone would actually watch them then either. Just make the usual statements they make now.

 

[fskimospy]

Actually they are over represented. Way over represented. The two Senators per state gives the low population states a huge over representation. Each Senator from Vermont represents 310 thousand people while each Senator from Texas represents 19 million people. Yet each have one vote in the Senate.

I meant in our system of electing presidents. They might have more electoral votes than they would otherwise, but candidates still ignore them.

Yes though, rural states are already given large institutional advantages in our overall system of government.

 

[CountZero]

I think the Seventeenth Amendment did quite enough damage to the states without also repealing the Electoral College. With a direct popular vote, less populous states would be totally screwed, and the incentive to manufacture large numbers of votes would be huge.

Less populous states already get a more than equal representation in congress. There is no logical reason why the citizens of such states should get a vote worth more than the same vote in other states when it comes to electing a person to represent the entire country. If you aren't a swing state it isn't like the candidates are paying any attention to you anyways.

Having said that I would concede to a proportional EC across all states. I'd even throw a little winner takes all in that the last fractional vote goes to whoever gets the most votes in the state. This would lead to 51 EC votes being essentially winner takes all and the rest more or less proportional while still giving little states their disproportionate voice.

 

[nobodyknows]

IMO, winner take all should be abolished and replaced with proportional EC votes. It would make the elections more interesting.

I think we should just go with the popular vote. Then everyone's vote counts.

 

[BoomerD]

The electoral college needs to be dissolved.

Let's let elections be decided the right way...by total popular vote.

 

[Charles Kozierok]

Rural voters are ALREADY ignored in our current system. Swing states are generally less rural than average, and when candidates do campaign there they tend to campaign in heavily populated areas for obvious reasons.

Sorry, I will need to see some data to back up the claim that swing states are generally less rural than average. You'd have to adjust for the fact that both highly rural and highly urban areas tend to be partisan.

And of course they campaign in highly populated areas within the swing states. But you're making my argument for me here -- if they do that on the state level, why wouldn't they on the national level?

The NPVIC page on Wikipedia linked earlier shows that in 2004, a lot of money and attention were devoted to states such as MN, IA, NH, WI and NM. In a straight popular vote contest, no politician would ever set foot in such places except maybe once to say they did so.

People have short memories and don't realize that a couple of decades ago, a number of states were quite different than they are now. Politics change -- cities don't move.

Actually they are over represented. Way over represented. The two Senators per state gives the low population states a huge over representation. Each Senator from Vermont represents 310 thousand people while each Senator from Texas represents 19 million people. Yet each have one vote in the Senate.

That's how it's supposed to work. This country is a union of states.