Very good synopsis of the EC situation. The premise of democracy is that all votes count the same. In practice, this rarely happens. In the US system, it is made worse by the electoral college, the legalization of bribes of government officials (lobbying and superPACs), as well as the compromises along the way like the Senate, where 2 senators that represent a few hundred thousand people in Wyoming have the same powers as the 2 that represent tens of millions in states like California, and more power if they stayed in congress longer, as they get "seniority" and the house and senate mostly make up their own rules as they go along, accountable to only their fellow conspirators. Add to that the fact that, in a democracy, the ultimate decision on laws rest with 9 unelected people who have life time appointments and are accountable to no one. Democracy, American style.....
Thank you, Trairong. Yes, with the Electoral College votes in presidential do not count the same and in fact millions are erased with the winner-take-all system employed by 48 states. Regarding the Senate, indeed gives outsize power to small states, additionally consider that Washington D.C. gets no senate representation even though it has a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont. Regarding SCOTUS, five justices were seated by runner-up candidates (Bush and Trump), which obviously has made a significant impact to the outcomes from America’s highest court.
This was a great read and got me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Barry Goldwater, which got me down another one about the Romney polygamist origins, and then Mormon polygamy colonies in Mexico. I learned so much from this!
if you do not have the electoral college 8 states would determine the outcome of the presidency in the US every 4 years (Ca, NY, PA, FL, TX, Ill, Oh, GA) the states identified consist of 150 mil people. Therefore you would not have a republic and no plurality. Removing 25% from the 150 mil takes the voting age citizenry to 112.5 mil, removal of 25% of the voting age population from each state is the average when it comes to total population. Total voting age citizenry out of 335 mil people in the US minus 25% = 251 mil voting age citizens, during the most recent presidential election approximately 155 mil people voted, which is plurality whether we like it or not, which coincides with the electoral count. If we go to one man one vote we will not have plurality. Personally I support the electoral college, which gives states with a very low population a voice in the political process, which we could argue at this point is corrupted.
Thank you for your comment. To be candid, I do find it remarkable how much mental gymnastics it takes to argue that the Electoral College is superior to the straightforward principle that every person’s vote should count equally in America. We have a presidential electoral system that most Americans don’t fully understand—one where just a handful of votes in key swing states can change the outcome (even with a variance of millions nationally), creating an environment ripe for manipulation and corruption. States are not people, nor do their residents vote as monolithic blocs. While the Electoral College gives smaller states a slight advantage by granting them two extra electoral votes for their Senate representation, the real imbalance lies elsewhere. Election after election, swing states reap the real benefits—receiving nearly all the attention, the bulk of campaign visits, and over 90% of campaign spending—while voters in reliably red and blue states, regardless of size, are largely ignored.
The Electoral College does not exist because America is a democratic republic, as every other election in the U.S. relies on a simple majority vote by the people. If you’re interested in a deeper exploration of this topic, I encourage you to watch my film, One Person, One Vote?, available on PBS Passport, where I dive into the well-researched history and origins of the Electoral College.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Very good synopsis of the EC situation. The premise of democracy is that all votes count the same. In practice, this rarely happens. In the US system, it is made worse by the electoral college, the legalization of bribes of government officials (lobbying and superPACs), as well as the compromises along the way like the Senate, where 2 senators that represent a few hundred thousand people in Wyoming have the same powers as the 2 that represent tens of millions in states like California, and more power if they stayed in congress longer, as they get "seniority" and the house and senate mostly make up their own rules as they go along, accountable to only their fellow conspirators. Add to that the fact that, in a democracy, the ultimate decision on laws rest with 9 unelected people who have life time appointments and are accountable to no one. Democracy, American style.....
Thank you, Trairong. Yes, with the Electoral College votes in presidential do not count the same and in fact millions are erased with the winner-take-all system employed by 48 states. Regarding the Senate, indeed gives outsize power to small states, additionally consider that Washington D.C. gets no senate representation even though it has a larger population than Wyoming and Vermont. Regarding SCOTUS, five justices were seated by runner-up candidates (Bush and Trump), which obviously has made a significant impact to the outcomes from America’s highest court.
This was a great read and got me down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Barry Goldwater, which got me down another one about the Romney polygamist origins, and then Mormon polygamy colonies in Mexico. I learned so much from this!
Wow! A rabbit hole within a rabbit hole within a rabbit hole. That's when things get real good. :)
Thanks for reading, Thomas, and stay tuned for more rabbit holes!
if you do not have the electoral college 8 states would determine the outcome of the presidency in the US every 4 years (Ca, NY, PA, FL, TX, Ill, Oh, GA) the states identified consist of 150 mil people. Therefore you would not have a republic and no plurality. Removing 25% from the 150 mil takes the voting age citizenry to 112.5 mil, removal of 25% of the voting age population from each state is the average when it comes to total population. Total voting age citizenry out of 335 mil people in the US minus 25% = 251 mil voting age citizens, during the most recent presidential election approximately 155 mil people voted, which is plurality whether we like it or not, which coincides with the electoral count. If we go to one man one vote we will not have plurality. Personally I support the electoral college, which gives states with a very low population a voice in the political process, which we could argue at this point is corrupted.
Hi Frankie,
Thank you for your comment. To be candid, I do find it remarkable how much mental gymnastics it takes to argue that the Electoral College is superior to the straightforward principle that every person’s vote should count equally in America. We have a presidential electoral system that most Americans don’t fully understand—one where just a handful of votes in key swing states can change the outcome (even with a variance of millions nationally), creating an environment ripe for manipulation and corruption. States are not people, nor do their residents vote as monolithic blocs. While the Electoral College gives smaller states a slight advantage by granting them two extra electoral votes for their Senate representation, the real imbalance lies elsewhere. Election after election, swing states reap the real benefits—receiving nearly all the attention, the bulk of campaign visits, and over 90% of campaign spending—while voters in reliably red and blue states, regardless of size, are largely ignored.
The Electoral College does not exist because America is a democratic republic, as every other election in the U.S. relies on a simple majority vote by the people. If you’re interested in a deeper exploration of this topic, I encourage you to watch my film, One Person, One Vote?, available on PBS Passport, where I dive into the well-researched history and origins of the Electoral College.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts!