How do electoral votes work? ?

Question

Does my vote really count or does this mean someone else chooses who is elected?

Answer 1

For each state, how the electoral college delegates vote is determined by how the residents in that state vote.  Therefore, it means that your vote counts but not in a one-to-one way as it would if all the votes in the country were added up and the candidate with the highest number of votes won.  There could be a situation, as in 2000, in which the candidate with the highest number of votes, Gore, does not win the Presidency.

Answer 2

Ok, let's start from the beginning.  Originally, in America, the general public did not vote for the President at all.  We elected two Senators from each state and the Senators would vote to elect the President, the runner up becoming Vice President.  That gave each state an equal number of votes (2).  Among other concerns was that some states had far larger populations than other states.  

This brought about the Electoral College.  Now each State is given a number of Electoral Votes according to the size of the population.  So more populous states have more Electoral Votes.  However, there is nothing dictating how a particular State uses those votes.  

All the States now hold general elections and let the voters of that State decide who gets that States Electoral Votes. But they don't have to. A State can decide to have the State Legislature do it or even have the Governor decide.  

Remember, after we broke away from England after the Revolution, we were 13 separated States or 13 separate nations.  If we stayed that way we would look a lot like Europe does today.  Instead, the States decided to enter into a Confederation.  This explains why they chose to call this Country the "United States of America" and not just America.

We now have 50 separate States.  The States have no interest in relinquishing this power to elect the President.  It would give all the power to the largest most populous states and the rest would have nearly no say. The Electoral College provides the best of both worlds.  The choice of the Majority is honored and the rights of the Minority are protected.

Do not be swayed because in a particular election one candidate got more popular votes but lost the election.  Remember, both candidates were campainging for Electoral Votes.  If the goal were popular votes both candidates would have run very different campaigns and gotten different results.  In such a case you cannot assume the results would have been any different.

It is like a baseball game.  Both teams are seeking to score the most runs.  The fact that one may have gotten more hits is irrelevant.  Only runs count toward the winning score.  If they were only playing to get hits they would play the game very differently.

*

Answer 3

Every Presidential election, this question comes up. And rightly so. There is no reason for the Electoral College, as far as I can see. It gives off the perception that OUR votes don't count! Every time someone does try to explain it, it sounds like "elitist double-talk"! Apparently it is impossible to explain in plain English, or it really IS a load of B/S to obfuscate OUR votes!

Until it can be explained WHY it has to be this way, I'll keep calling to end the Electoral College. It adds confusion, and invites Election tampering charges. Keep our Elections simple. Make them "idiot proof", get rid of the Electoral College!

Answer 4

They determine who will be president....and you thought your vote was important....HA! HA!HA!

Answer 5

A little of both.  

The Electoral College is a body of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States.  The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election.

You elect a representative who then votes on your behalf.

Answer 6

It's called indirect election.  Technically you as a citizen don't vote directly for the President and Vice President.  You vote to influence electors in your state that in turn cast votes for the President and Vice President.  The number of electors in each state is equal to the total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress from that state.  The only exception is D.C., which was granted a few electors.  Technically electors are free to vote for anyone they like but in practice abide they by the wishes of the voters in their state.  

It's a good system if you ask me.  Part of the reasoning is to allow smaller less populated states to have a say in the election process, else candidates would focus almost exclusively on the issues affecting only the large populous cities.   Another part of the reason is to create a buffer should a tyrannical demagogue type figure fool the masses into voting for them.  Theoretically the electoral body would have more knowledge and insight to overturn the selection.  I have MUCH more faith in the wisdom and intelligence of our founding fathers that created this system then the modern individuals who would readily overturn it.

Answer 7

Good question. Star!

Answer 8

Yes, your vote counts.  Electoral votes are votes made by official "Electors" that are voted by the majority of each state.  Thus, since you are choosing electors, your vote counts.  The number of electors is pre-determined by the number of representatives each state has in Congress.  For example, California has about 53 Congressional representatives and 2 U.S. Senators, so their electoral vote is 55.  Whichever presidential candidate wins a majority of a state, all of the electors for that candidate will be sent to the electoral college. (There are very rare instances of "unfaithful electors", but it is rare enough to ignore.)

435 Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 representatives from the District of Columbia equals 538 representatives.  Thus, the number of electors sent to the electoral college is also 538 (not the same people - again, the electors are chosen on the ballot by voters).  Therefore, to be President, you need HALF PLUS ONE (269 + 1, or 270) to win the Presidency.

If, by chance, there is a 269-269 tie, Congress votes: one vote for each state.  In this case, if you get 26 or more states voting for you, you would become President.  

Answer 9

You do, but by proxy.  You select who wins the electoral votes in your state.  If your state has 12 electoral votes (that's decided from the last census count in 2000), and McCain gets the most votes in your state, then McCain gets 12 electoral college votes.

270 is needed for a Presidential win.

Edit:  You didn't miss anything.  The Nov. 4 election decides who wins the electoral college votes.  The college meets officially in December to formalize the winner, but we'll know Nov. 4 night who won.

Answer 10

Unless you live in Florida and the governor is one of the candidate's brothers.  In that case, he just decides to throw away a bunch of votes and say that his brother won the state.  And that gives the presidency to a man who didn't win.  After that he starts a totally unnecessary war and basically screws up our country.  Then people are dumb enough to re-elect him and watch their average income go down $2000 throughout his 8-year reign of terror.