The Electoral College needs to be done away with. Lets face it if you live in California or New York, for example, and you vote for McCain your vote really doesn't count. Same thing in Texas, if you vote for Obama, your vote really won't count.

Why do we still have this archaic system? Why don't we just go by Majority wins. Period.

Why should the voters in "swing states", Ohio for example, be more important than voters in any other state?

The electoral college, established in 1787, may have been ideal when the US was sparsely populated, but why is it still needed now?

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Mary

I, too, think the electoral college is an outdated concept and should be done away with. I have thought for a long time that the presidency should be based only on the popular vote of the people. My mother and I were just discussing this very thing over the weekend. I said that if our individual votes aren't important enough, why don't they just stop having everyone vote and just choose an electoral college that will vote and select the president?

I also HATE the fact that there isn't a stronger third party. This we vs. them thing created by having two major parties is just plain nasty, and it gets nastier with each election. I came from a family where my mom's side were democrats and my dad's side were republicans. They were never nasty about it like people are on this board. They voted their party, though, and I grew up thinking that they just cancelled out each others' votes.

A strong third party might help lessen this craziness. I'm a registered independent, and I would never vote along party lines. My ballot is a mix of democrats, republicans and third party candidates. I make a point to study the issues and the candidates and make an educated choice. To vote along party lines is not an educated vote in my opinion.

By the way, I am from Ohio and I even get sick of all the talk about Ohio being so important. My vote is not any more important that anyone else's. Sometimes I hear things said on the news that make it sound like those of us in Ohio are the only ones who count. That is so WRONG. We should ALL count!

I'm in a deep red state and my vote for Obama won't count. I absolutely agree. Let's get rid of the electoral college.

P.S. I feel sorry for anyone living in swing state. I rarely see a political ad or get a phone call.

I agree. Do away with the electoral college. I am in a state that my vote finally actually means something. But this is the first time that I can remember NC being anything but strong republican. Just think how much better things would be today if the 2000 election has rested on popular vote.

Is your vote REALLY going to count?

Nope. Not voting. Nobody running that I would cast a vote for. State is blue anyhow.

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Then what's to prevent you from writing in the candidate of your choice? While it probably won't matter in the grand scheme of things--at least it won't be a vote for or against those currently running. You need to vote--but vote your conscience. I'm writing in my choice because I will not choose the lesser of two evils.

of course, Obama is recommending you tell your boss you're working for Obama on election day, and missing work or school.
Obama Urges Voters to Take Day Off From Work to Help Campaign on Election Day - FOXNews.com Elections

That just doesn't set well with me for some reason....

ETA-here, state govt. employees do get the whole day off! I was shocked by that. I mean come on! Who takes a whole day to vote? And can't blame long lines/waiting in line--the most I've ever had to wait was 15 min. And I've gone at all hours of the day...I just don't understand the need to be off of work the whole friggin' day.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Makes you wonder why they have not changed it to popular vote? No one likes the way it is.


Funny that we have all voted for years with out taking the day off!

The above statement bothers me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who isn't really pleased with either candidate. But I find it my duty as a citizen to vote. I will vote for the candidate who, in my opinion, will be best for our country and my family and holds to the values that I do. Would I have rather had someone else other than the candidates who are running? Yes. But I'll vote anyway. Then when it's over, I'll know I did my part.

So when something happens in the next four years that you don't like, for those who didn't vote, please keep quiet because you really have no say in the matter because you didn't exercise your right to vote!! If people think their one vote doesn't really count for much, they're mistaken. That's the way I feel about the whole matter of not voting!

Good heavens - can't people just have their own take on things without being told it's wrong, that I'm not fulfilling my duty as a citizen (don't worry, I make up for my citizenship duties with my tax burden), and that I have no right to voice an opinon in the future? Who died and left y'all in charge? You do your thing, and I'll do mine, thank you very much.

This is Kennedy country and it is decidedly blue. No sense wasting my time on an issue that will be decided elsewhere.

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

They're in a dead heat in my state, so yes.

I'll be spending the 4th driving people back and forth to the polls (whether they're voting for my candidate or not)

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

I guess my point is/was---you don't have to vote for McCain or Obama. You can write in your choice. While I don't think my write-in vote is going to matter a hill of beans in this election, at least I feel like I had the chance to vote who I wanted.

I may have misunderstood you in the "I'm not voting". Our state is having numerous other races that will be decided 11/4. Thus regardless of whether I was voting in the Presidential election, I most assuredly would be voting in the state and local elections. I guess I assumed you meant you weren't voting period. Assuming that I jumped to that conclusion incorrectly I apologize.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Not all states allow write-in votes. A person should check with their state registers office to find out the rules for their atate. (a google search might also provide the answers).

Not voting should also be considered a right of choice. By not voting you are sending the message that you do not approve of the candidates.

We have an Electoral College, because in contrast to popular opinion, the United States is a federation, not a democracy.

Our founding fathers, in the interest of the people having the right to self-government, intentionally set it up this way. In a pure democracy there is something that is called "tyranny of the majority". One only has to think of Nazi Germany to understand this term. The minority is under control of the majority. Our founding fathers wanted to avoid this. They had the forsight to see that different states would have different interests. That is why we have the Electoral College. It is to protect the minority from being dominated by the majority.

There are of course modern day practicalitites for staying with the Electoral College as well. In a close race like we had in 2000, and the mess that insued in Florida, could you imagine having to have a national recount?

This might be worth the read if your wondering about the Electoral College:

Why Keep the Electoral College?

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"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
- George Orwell Animal Farm

If the electoral college had been done away with years ago we would not have suffered under Bush2.

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"Well-Behaved Women SELDOM make history."Laurel Thatcher Ulrich


"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

Without the college the election would probably only be held in a few states because they would be the determining votes. People in states with smaller populations would not be of any interest to people running for the presidency. Not only would their votes be useless, their elected members of Congress would probably not have as much clout. The power would lie in the states with the largest populations. In spite of the fact that it doesn't always work the way we would like it to, it is a much better way of doing this than by popular vote.

The race is usually called before the count is even close to being done in Alaska. That being said, I would never pass up my chance to vote. Our soldiers die for our right to vote.

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Proud Wife of an Army Soldier and proud mother of an Army MP currently serving in Iraq.


"To any critics who say a woman can't think and work and carry a baby at the same time, I'd just like to escort that Neanderthal back to the cave." - Sarah Palin