1 - Just Fred
- Duke of Cortona
Offline 
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 3,863
My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
I've been railing against the electoral college system for a long time now, and this is going to be my last word on what I consider to be an archaic system:
For those that favor the current system and for those who favor a popular vote system, how about a compromise? Let's jettison the 'winner take all' crap for determining the electoral votes awarded to candidates within a state. Maine and Nebraska already do that. For example, both Clinton and Trump won some 'winner take all' states, so in the end if you voted for the 'loser' in your state, your votes meant nothing.
Here in PA, Trump got 2,970,733 votes, Clinton got 2,926,441. Trump gets 20 electoral votes, Clinton gets squat. That just doesn't seem right or fair. Both Maine and Nebraska split their electoral votes. The other 48 states don't.
By the same token, in a 'winner take all' state, if Trump lost the popular vote to Clinton by a couple hundred votes, Clinton gets the entire ball of electoral wax and Trump got squat.
I think it would be a fair compromise to at least divide the electoral votes proportionately so every vote counts. It wouldn't be that hard to do, either. Each state could make the system more reflective of the actual voting preferences of their citizenry.
Your thoughts?
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
I am also - contrary to what some have suggested - a long term critic of the electoral college.
I've spent a fair amount of time reading about the origins of the electoral college and feel that I have a pretty good grasp on the argument for it.
I simply do not buy it. Protections for the smaller states with the electoral college and representation in the Senate have reached a point at wich the tail wags the dog, in my opinion.
Sure, awarding the votes proportionally instead of on a winner take all basis would be an improvement to this anachronism.
But, it's a moot point. Americans only think of the electoral college for about six weeks every four years, So don't expect a change.
I would, for the sake of my intellectual curiosity, like to see an argument for the electoral college that, 1 doesn't accuse me of merely being bitter about the last election (with a "get over it!" tossed in) and, 2 doesn't refer to me as "delusional".
Is that too much to ask?
Last edited by Goose (12/18/2016 11:00 am)
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- tennyson
- Exchanger
Offline
- Registered: 2/06/2015
- Posts: 6,654
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Right or wrong, like it or not, fair or unfair, the process has 0% chance of changing in the short term. Also the likelihood of getting a Constitutional Amendment to change it in the long run to a popular vote also has about a 0% chance of passing.
Perhaps on the State level a proportional awarding of elector votes could happen down the road, but that will be WAY down the road at this point. It becomes a political issue and the politics do not favor any change at this point.
The above are the realities at least as I see them.
Doesn't mean you cannot work towards a better system though, but realizing that the wheels of change especially on this issue will work very slowly.
"Do not confuse motion and progress, A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress"
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Tennyson is right.
Perhaps, Fred, you could try to start a movement by which Pennsylvania's votes would be awarded proportionally?
Start small.
Last edited by Goose (12/18/2016 12:02 pm)
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Brady Bunch
- Exchanger
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 862
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Just Fred wrote:
I've been railing against the electoral college system for a long time now, and this is going to be my last word on what I consider to be an archaic system:
For those that favor the current system and for those who favor a popular vote system, how about a compromise? Let's jettison the 'winner take all' crap for determining the electoral votes awarded to candidates within a state. Maine and Nebraska already do that. For example, both Clinton and Trump won some 'winner take all' states, so in the end if you voted for the 'loser' in your state, your votes meant nothing.
Here in PA, Trump got 2,970,733 votes, Clinton got 2,926,441. Trump gets 20 electoral votes, Clinton gets squat. That just doesn't seem right or fair. Both Maine and Nebraska split their electoral votes. The other 48 states don't.
By the same token, in a 'winner take all' state, if Trump lost the popular vote to Clinton by a couple hundred votes, Clinton gets the entire ball of electoral wax and Trump got squat.
I think it would be a fair compromise to at least divide the electoral votes proportionately so every vote counts. It wouldn't be that hard to do, either. Each state could make the system more reflective of the actual voting preferences of their citizenry.
Your thoughts?
How would you go about doing this? Are you talking about a Constitutional Amendment to force states to do this? Would we be splitting electors based on percentage of the vote or by the winner of the congressional district and 2 electors for the overall winner of the state?
- Common Sense
- Exchanger
Offline
- Registered: 2/16/2015
- Posts: 3,258
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Right now there is a zero chance of this happening! The GOP will control about 70 percent of the state houses and they won't support a change in the EC system. It is also a dead issue in PA. It would never
pass the statehouse today.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Brady Bunch
- Exchanger
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 862
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
I don't see it happening either.
I can't imagine a scenario where Dems in NY and CA will want to go to proportional votes, that would just be giving votes to Republicans they don't have a chance of getting. Same thing goes for Republicans in states like Texas, I don't see them giving up all those electoral votes.
The only way I see a state considering going to proportional electoral votes is if one party who has controlled it for a long time appears to be losing control and they consider doing it so they will guarantee some electors in future elections.
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
12 months ago it was unthinkable that a misogynistic, racist TV reality show host would be elected president.
A thing is only impossible until someone does it.
BTW, I don't think that Fred was asking about the feasibility of abolishing the electoral college as much as he was trying to engender a conversation.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- Common Sense
- Exchanger
Offline
- Registered: 2/16/2015
- Posts: 3,258
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Today it is 1000% impossible to achieve! And that is a fact.
It's sour grapes to complain about this after the fact.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: My Last Word on why I Think the Electoral College System Blows
Today it is 1000% impossible to achieve! And that is a fact.
It's sour grapes to complain about this after the fact.
Whether something is possible or not ranges from 0-100%.
It's stupidity to say otherwise.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.