Democracy is “One person; One vote”.Republicanism is “One state; One vote”.The USA is a Democratic Republic, a hybrid and an oxymoron. We should drop the electorial college system.
Agreed the electoral college system is antiquated & doesn’t fit in with 21st century politics. With 24/7 coverage of news no 1 is disenfranchised. All voices can be heard but with the electoral college all eyes turn to the battleground states while everyone else is ignored.
Whether this disenfranchises minorities will depend solely on the gerrymandering, and that will depend on the party in power at the state level. The districts will still be based on population, so the only way to really capitalize would be to make districts like pinwheels – starting in an urban area and fanning out towards the rural areas. Currently, there are some states that are lopsided towards urban areas, due to population density. The most equitable solution will be one person – one vote. We have grown beyond the need for the Electoral College, as everyone has equal access to information unavailable 200 years ago.
“If we drop the electoral college system New York and California will elect the president.”Not true at all. New York and California together make up only 16% of the US population, the same percentage of electoral votes they hold. By eliminating the College, instead of all votes (55 for CA and 29 for NY) going Democrat, a more even distribution is acheived. So instead of guaranteeing the Democrats a full 15% of electors for 2 states, now they will probably achieve between 8-10%, increasing the chances of a Republican candidate who may have written those states off. If everybody knew their vote counted, our turnout would increase, and a much more accurate view of the American political landscape would emerge.
No, that is what happens now WITH the Electoral college – all people in the Eastern corridor and California count as Democrats, regardless of how they actually vote. Maine had 2 Republican Senators until this year, and now has one Republican and one Independent. Why? because there is no electoral college at the state level. If a Democrat wins by 5 votes for the Presidency in New York, all New Yorkers count as Democrats. Removing the electoral college evens the playing field – how many people don’t vote because they don’t matter, based on their state? More than once, the college has allowed the second-place vote getter to become President. The electoral college skews the election. It served its’ purpose, and needs to be removed now. As I said – all people have access to the same information today, something that wasn’t true a century ago.
Do you not know that congressional districts all have approximately the same population of about 700,000? The cow town of 12 would be in a district with 700,000 other people, so the power of their votes would be the same as 12 people in a big city. This cartoon is based on a misunderstanding.
ConserveGov about 11 years ago
Libs still playing the tired race card.
jonesb about 11 years ago
I believe both parties gerrymander.
larryrhoades about 11 years ago
Democracy is “One person; One vote”.Republicanism is “One state; One vote”.The USA is a Democratic Republic, a hybrid and an oxymoron. We should drop the electorial college system.
rini1946 about 11 years ago
to me it should be pay taxes you can vote. Do not work no vote
Dapperdan61 Premium Member about 11 years ago
Agreed the electoral college system is antiquated & doesn’t fit in with 21st century politics. With 24/7 coverage of news no 1 is disenfranchised. All voices can be heard but with the electoral college all eyes turn to the battleground states while everyone else is ignored.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
Whether this disenfranchises minorities will depend solely on the gerrymandering, and that will depend on the party in power at the state level. The districts will still be based on population, so the only way to really capitalize would be to make districts like pinwheels – starting in an urban area and fanning out towards the rural areas. Currently, there are some states that are lopsided towards urban areas, due to population density. The most equitable solution will be one person – one vote. We have grown beyond the need for the Electoral College, as everyone has equal access to information unavailable 200 years ago.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
“If we drop the electoral college system New York and California will elect the president.”Not true at all. New York and California together make up only 16% of the US population, the same percentage of electoral votes they hold. By eliminating the College, instead of all votes (55 for CA and 29 for NY) going Democrat, a more even distribution is acheived. So instead of guaranteeing the Democrats a full 15% of electors for 2 states, now they will probably achieve between 8-10%, increasing the chances of a Republican candidate who may have written those states off. If everybody knew their vote counted, our turnout would increase, and a much more accurate view of the American political landscape would emerge.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
No, that is what happens now WITH the Electoral college – all people in the Eastern corridor and California count as Democrats, regardless of how they actually vote. Maine had 2 Republican Senators until this year, and now has one Republican and one Independent. Why? because there is no electoral college at the state level. If a Democrat wins by 5 votes for the Presidency in New York, all New Yorkers count as Democrats. Removing the electoral college evens the playing field – how many people don’t vote because they don’t matter, based on their state? More than once, the college has allowed the second-place vote getter to become President. The electoral college skews the election. It served its’ purpose, and needs to be removed now. As I said – all people have access to the same information today, something that wasn’t true a century ago.
pirate227 about 11 years ago
If the GOP had appealing ideas they wouldn’t need to disenfranchise voters. A lesson they will never learn.
Carla Lambert Premium Member about 11 years ago
Do you not know that congressional districts all have approximately the same population of about 700,000? The cow town of 12 would be in a district with 700,000 other people, so the power of their votes would be the same as 12 people in a big city. This cartoon is based on a misunderstanding.