Elizabeth Warren calls for an end to the Electoral College

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TheVrolok

Lifer
Dec 11, 2000
24,254
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Because it creates a balance and prevents candidates from exerting all their energy towards population centers, thereby ignoring regional nuances. It forces candidates outside of echo chambers and keeps in check tyranny of the majority.

As mentioned, 100% of the disagreements between EC and Popular Vote have benefit the same party. How is that balance? How are rural areas not echo chambers in the same way urban areas are? Is the tyranny of the minority better?
 
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Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
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Because it creates a balance and prevents candidates from exerting all their energy towards population centers, thereby ignoring regional nuances. It forces candidates outside of echo chambers and keeps in check tyranny of the majority.

Because it gives the GOP a better chance of winning the Presidency. It's the only reason conservatives defend it. The EC was originally created to entice slave states to join the Union, anyway.
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
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That makes absolutely no sense.

This is why EC threads suck. It's just an invitation for the shittiest people on the forum to troll.

All the California bullshit is a perfect example. There's no point in even discussing it, the EC is an antidemocratic institution that was created to protect slavery. There's no moral defense of it, there's only petulant refusal to change things because making things more fair would give power to the wrong people.
 

ondma

Platinum Member
Mar 18, 2018
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Most here and in the public at large do not understand just how much the Electoral College protects their vote and ensures all do in fact have a vote and that it counts.
Care to explain how the electoral college accomplishes that? Seems just the opposite to me. The most sure way to make sure every vote counts is to base the election on popular vote for the whole country.
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
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Care to explain how the electoral college accomplishes that? Seems just the opposite to me. The most sure way to make sure every vote counts is to base the election on popular vote for the whole country.

I love the Trumpish "many don't know this" framing.
 
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SteveGrabowski

Diamond Member
Oct 20, 2014
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In the last thirty years the Republican candidate has gotten more votes than the Democrat in the presidential election exactly once: Bush over Kerry in 2004. Pretending this country is any kind of democracy is a sick joke.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
85,632
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Because it creates a balance and prevents candidates from exerting all their energy towards population centers, thereby ignoring regional nuances. It forces candidates outside of echo chambers and keeps in check tyranny of the majority.

Wouldn't this be true for the governor of literally every state in the union? Why doesn't it happen there?
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
85,632
50,852
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Most here and in the public at large do not understand just how much the Electoral College protects their vote and ensures all do in fact have a vote and that it counts.

It is abundantly clear that you do not understand how the electoral college works as its only function is to make sure that some people's votes count more than others. That's the opposite of protecting votes, that's 'some are more equal than others'.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
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Implicit in the argument that the electoral college is good is that the way we elect the chief executive in every one of our other 50 states is bad and leads to an 'echo chamber' and 'tyranny of the majority'. This is doubly true considering that state laws impact our lives much more than federal laws.

Why don't we see a movement to have all 50 states adapt an electoral college? Why haven't they descended into the tyranny of the majority? Why don't basically all other developed countries who lack such a system descend into tyranny or an echo chamber?

Because the electoral college is stupid and we all know it. It's an artifact designed to protect and perpetuate slavery.
 

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
48,077
37,268
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This is why EC threads suck. It's just an invitation for the shittiest people on the forum to troll.

All the California bullshit is a perfect example. There's no point in even discussing it, the EC is an antidemocratic institution that was created to protect slavery. There's no moral defense of it, there's only petulant refusal to change things because making things more fair would give power to the wrong people.

Real Merica votes count more than California votes because reasons and/or millions of illegals voted to defeat Republicans in CA who are actually super duper popular.
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
17,116
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Because it creates a balance and prevents candidates from exerting all their energy towards population centers, thereby ignoring regional nuances. It forces candidates outside of echo chambers and keeps in check tyranny of the majority.

You know what also keeps the tyranny of the majority in check, feudalism.

Why did we ever drop feudalism and the divine right of kings? Seems like they really used to know how to keep the majority in check.
 
Nov 8, 2012
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I don't know that I'd want to abolish it completely, but would like to see more states go to a split electoral vote as opposed to the winner take all we have now.

Would this satisfy the lefties here?

This would accomplish your goal of every vote having a purpose - AND it wouldn't require a constitutional amendment (but I presume will require law change at the state level?)
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
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I remember when they taught us how the EC worked in elementary school, and they were like "yeah, it's theoretically possible that a popular vote winner could lose the EC, but in practice it hasn't happened since the 1800s or whatever".

Very cool that less than 20 years later a popular vote loser was leading the nation into a murderous war of aggression and it's now being used by a powerful minority to consolidate power.

It is abundantly clear that you do not understand how the electoral college works as its only function is to make sure that some people's votes count more than others. That's the opposite of protecting votes, that's 'some are more equal than others'.

This is a form of gaslighting where you take an unfair law and say that the unfair thing about it is needed to make things fair.
 

Starbuck1975

Lifer
Jan 6, 2005
14,698
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You know what also keeps the tyranny of the majority in check, feudalism.

Why did we ever drop feudalism and the divine right of kings? Seems like they really used to know how to keep the majority in check.
California is the most feudal region of the country, the people with money even get to live in gated compounds on hills as they look down upon the servant class, so maybe we shouldn’t replicate that model across the country.
 

Starbuck1975

Lifer
Jan 6, 2005
14,698
1,909
126
Wouldn't this be true for the governor of literally every state in the union? Why doesn't it happen there?
It is true of the larger states. You should know the animosity that upstate NY holds towards NYC, or the Inland Empire and high desert towards the coastal cities.
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
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California is the most feudal region of the country, the people with money even get to live in gated compounds on hills as they look down upon the servant class, so maybe we shouldn’t replicate that model across the country.

And you're complicit in denying that servant class any voice in Washington.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
85,632
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Would this satisfy the lefties here?

This would accomplish your goal of every vote having a purpose - AND it wouldn't require a constitutional amendment (but I presume will require law change at the state level?)

No need for an amendment to abolish it. The national popular vote interstate compact continues to add new member states.

No need to get fancy, just abolish it. Popular vote works for literally every other elected office in the country. It’s fine for this too.
 
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Luna1968

Golden Member
Mar 9, 2019
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the founding fathers knew that a democratic popular vote on a federal level was a bad idea. im going to side with their wisdom and not have NY, Illinois, California decide for the whole country how the president is. why even vote?
 

kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
28,744
40,186
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Warren is winning over conservatives at a rate I did not see coming. Didn't that douche Tucker even say he might vote for her? Nice to see people addressing her rational points backed up with data, instead of echoing the traitor's tepid racism.

Pro-capitalism, anti-theft
Pro-consumer, anti-monopoly
Pro-voter, anti-fascist

Yeah I'd vote for that. On her worst day she's a 1,000 times better than banana republicans and traitors with dementia. And she is 100% right on the EC.
 
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Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
126
the founding fathers knew that a democratic popular vote on a federal level was a bad idea. im going to side with their wisdom and not have NY, Illinois, California decide for the whole country how the president is. why even vote?

The wisdom to own slaves.
 

Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
17,116
14,484
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California is the most feudal region of the country, the people with money even get to live in gated compounds on hills as they look down upon the servant class, so maybe we shouldn’t replicate that model across the country.

Lol.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,358
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Because it creates a balance and prevents candidates from exerting all their energy towards population centers, thereby ignoring regional nuances. It forces candidates outside of echo chambers and keeps in check tyranny of the majority.
as oppposed to now when candidates spend all their time in iowa, new hampshire, floriduh, ohio, and 2 or 3 other states.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
85,632
50,852
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It is true of the larger states. You should know the animosity that upstate NY holds towards NYC, or the Inland Empire and high desert towards the coastal cities.

I guess that’s why Texas is a blue state run by the tyranny of Austin and Dallas, why NYC is being funded by upstate instead of the other way around why and Florida is better known as Miami-Stan.

Seriously, real life that you can see every day shows this is clearly false. The only state where that is remotely true is California but that’s because the population of the coast is so incredibly high and the inland is essentially barren wasteland where nobody lives.
 

Luna1968

Golden Member
Mar 9, 2019
1,202
680
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Popular vote works for literally every other elected office in the country. It’s fine for this too.

its clear yo dont know what Republic is and why there is the EC. you can not compare a local election to a federal election to the president.