Is it time for the Electorial College to be abolished.
By BlueStarMom1
@BlueStarMom1 (931)
United States
3 responses
@woodlin (158)
• United States
19 Oct 07
By using the electoral college and not the popular vote it shows that "we the people" do not decide our president as we are supposed to. Which is why democracy is becoming non-existent. WE are supposed to choose our leaders yet that is not always the case.
Now on the other hand it is possible that the last time this did happen that there was tampering. I personally believe the polls were messed with. The counts forged and people were in the back pocket of the "to be" at the time president.
There is also another view point. The electoral college is supposed to make it more fair due to more or less population. So for this it makes sense. BUT! Then you see as stated, candidates who will only push for those higher vote states and almost ignore the lesser vote states. That is wrong too and they should be ashamed.
1 person likes this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
20 Oct 07
Despite the charges and counter charges there was only one conviction, that I know of involving the election. That was Democratic activist vandalizing Republican vans to be used to transport voters to the polls. They were procuted with a Democratic as governor and in a county controled by Democratis.
@BlueStarMom1 (931)
• United States
19 Oct 07
Thanks for your response. I also believe that it is time for this country to start changing things. Why is it that we are changing our policies about immigration, peoples privacy, peoples constitutional rigts, etc. yet we still go by an ancient policy like the electorial college?
Good response. Thank you.
@MntlWard (878)
• United States
18 Oct 07
As I understand it, Bush did win the popular vote in 2004 by the smallest margin ever. After that election, some Republicans I know were saying that we might as well start using the popular vote instead of the electoral college.
Then again, in districts which were using electronic voting or electronic vote counting, the final results didn't match exit polls, and almost all the electronic discrepancies were in Bush's favor, so you may be right.
In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote by about a half million votes. It seems unbelievable that a candidate who trounces his opponent by such a wide margin could have lost in the electoral college.
1 person likes this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
18 Oct 07
If you look at the vote patterns in states with a large metropolitan center you will find that center controls the state. New York is an example. They had the best benifits for their employees and the rest of the state paid for it. Such things as increas the gas tax to keep mass transit const down in NYC. In Minnesota massive amounts of gas tax money, raised from the rest of the state, is going for light rail in the Minneapolis/St Paul.
If you elimanate the Electorial College you will give the power to the Large Cities and the rest of us will pay for them. When the founding fathers established the Electorial College they were doing it to portect the small states. They created the Senate for the same reason to balance the power between large and small states.
It is like Winston Churchill said about democracy - it is a bad form of government but it is the best we have tried so far.
2 people like this
@BlueStarMom1 (931)
• United States
18 Oct 07
Thanks to both of you for responding with 2 different view points. I agree with Mntlward about the popular vote needing to be the deciding factor and not the supreme court as it was in 2000.
As for the second opinion, I also understand why it was instituted in the beginning. But is it now being abused? Seems to me the candidates consentrate on the states with the most electorial votes and could care less about the states who only have a few. Are the fewer vote states less important than the larger? Just wondering. Again, thank you both for responding. Both were great thoughts.
1 person likes this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
19 Oct 07
In 2000 the Democratic were all for abolishing the Electorial College but changed their tune in 2004 when they almost won the Electorial College but lost the popular vote. President Bush is the first president to win over 50% of the vote cast in a presidentual election in recient years.
I think we need to keep the Electorial College to ensure that all factions of the country are represented.
