Your Vote Doesn't Count

Yes, your vote doesn't count. It doesn't matter. You're wasting your time.

Let me explain a bit.
Every four years there's the biggest sham in voting, called the presidential election. On the surface it's much like all the other elections we have. It possesses all the elements of state and local elections: accusations of lies, negative ads, a massive reliance upon fringe special interests. Yes, it's quite similar on those accounts.

Except except except. The presidential election, the MOST important election in the land, is the one that is LEAST likely to reflect the wishes of the nation. The reason for this? Why it's our old friend, The Electoral College. This fine friend of ours hails from the creation of this fine nation. And, to be fair, it was probably a good idea at the time. During this period, a majority of people not only had little access to a type of media (newspapers), but a great number of people could not read or write (as opposed to now, when people CAN read and write, but choose not to.)

In practice, here's how the Electoral College works. If the majority of voters in a state (the state: already an outmoded determiner of values and mores) vote for one candidate, then all of the votes for that state go to that candidate. Meaning, if, in 2008, you voted for McCain in California or New York, two of the most populous states, your vote meant NOTHING. And will mean nothing in the NEXT election as well.



Let's look at the 2008 election. Obama garnered 52.9% of the popular vote, but 67% of the electoral vote. So, the 7% that McCain lost by in the popular vote - a number of people slightly larger than the population of Los Angeles - actually ended up being a loss of 33%!

That's not to say McCain would have taken the country if there were no Electoral College, just that the votes of people would have actually mattered! The general election for President of the United States is certainly not proportional or representational on a fair level. You cannot argue that it is, in any way, an accurate depiction of the wishes of the voter.

Nebraska, strangely, has at least done something that no other state has had the guts to do, they have broken their 5 electoral votes down so that if a candidate wins 20% o the vote, he will receive one electoral vote. Far more fair than the current system.

And why would there be no outcry to rescind the article for the Electoral College? It's as simple as it is sad. Both parties KNOW they have states 'in hand.' The Democrats don't want to give up any of the votes from CA, NY, the northeast and the Republicans won't want to give up the bible belt and TX. Political self interest over what is RIGHT. What is FAIR. Slimy? Yes. Surprising? Nope.

Fans of the Electoral College claim that this system protects the 'rights of the smaller states.' Not really. It does nothing of the sort. You know what protects the rights of smaller states? It's called Congress. They have both proportional representation (the House of Representatives) and equal representation (the Senate).

The Electoral College just ensures that a state such as Ohio or Iowa or New Hampshire has more say over who the president will be than the states with the majority of citizens! If anything, the Electoral college makes my vote mean proportionally less than someone from a less populous state. Fair? I think not.

Electoral College. . . it's time to go. Your usefulness has passed. It won't happen, of course, because of political selfishness, but there is no doubt, the continuation of the Electoral College is a detriment to the country and makes a farce of the idea that every vote matters.

Because it doesn't.