We all know that the presidental election and campaigning stategy is all fueled by the Electoral system votes. Each state gets a number of votes depending on their population.
it should be the candidate who has the highest number of votes. I personally would go 1 step further like Australia, and make it mandatory legally to have all voters in the US vote.
I agree with the popular vote.
I disagree with making it mandatory though. If you do that, you will get enough people that will just vote for whoever is on the top of the ballot.
Voting should not be an obligation. Though I would have no problem giving more benefits to voters.
it causes a problem because by having a popular vote, the major cities of the country will determine who wins. what people who live in the cities want is not necessarily parallel to what everyone in the country wants. for example, the people in cities like new york, chicago, and LA combined would have such a strong influence on who gets elected. people who live in rural areas wouldnt. then that causes problems because politicans start gearing their platforms to what the people in the cities want since they know thats how they would get elected, and neglect the rural folk. with the electoral vote on the other hand, someone in a rural area knows that thier vote will count towards their district atleast, and they can have a say in what is being done.
it causes a problem because by having a popular vote, the major cities of the country will determine who wins. what people who live in the cities want is not necessarily parallel to what everyone in t... moreit causes a problem because by having a popular vote, the major cities of the country will determine who wins. what people who live in the cities want is not necessarily parallel to what everyone in the country wants. for example, the people in cities like new york, chicago, and LA combined would have such a strong influence on who gets elected. people who live in rural areas wouldnt. then that causes problems because politicans start gearing their platforms to what the people in the cities want since they know thats how they would get elected, and neglect the rural folk. with the electoral vote on the other hand, someone in a rural area knows that thier vote will count towards their district atleast, and they can have a say in what is being done. less
You make a good point about equality. I can see where that can be a problem, meaning that the cities would be able to dictate more of how the farmers must live.
But.. Isn't that still a lot of how it works now? The largest cities already hold the most electoral votes. Candidates already gear up more for the major states: New York, California, Illinois, Texas.. They have a lot more influence than, say, North Dakota.
yes to be honest i am not as read up on electoral systems as i would like to be. hopefully someone can explain it well around here?
but yea, big cities will always have the strongest influence, but condiser this example.
with popular vote system: there is one state with 10million people living in the main city and 5 million scattered in the rural areas. under a proportional system, candidates would only target those 10 million people knowing if they get their votes, they win the by majority and "win" that state".
with the current system: same scenario, but the state is divided into districts. the city part will consist of more, smaller districts, but there will also be districts in the rural areas. if a candidate neglets the rural areas, another candidate can come in and lure the rural citizens to vote for them. the candidate that has convinced the rural citizens can easily steal important districts, and in the current situation, steal some important delegates on the democrat side.
its obviously much more ocmplicated then that, the way districts are even split up and how delegates are assigned, but thats the general theory that i understand. maybe someone can convince me otherwise?
I think it all boils down to a reliable count of the popular vote...and as we have so sadly witnessed, we can't rely on that to happen. I can't imagine the fraud that would kick in should the electoral system be trashed...after what I've seen in Florida, the electoral system may just have more merit, if to prevent a security breach.
