How does it all work?


Over my last few posts, I have talked about when, where, and how to get involved in politics and the upcoming election.  As previously stated, there is an ongoing debate about whether or not "the people" truly have a voice. Part of that debate stems from the structure of our voting system and voting processes. 

In most of our elections (Senators, Governors, Mayors, Ect.), candidates are awarded positions in office based on popular vote by the American people, however when it comes to selecting our President and Vice President, these positions are not awarded based on popular vote. Instead, they are awarded based on voting by the American people, and what is knowing as an Electoral College. The Electoral College was developed as a compromise between popular vote and Congressional vote and is in the US Constitution. Each state has 1 electoral vote for every member of Congress within their state, Washington DC also has 3 electoral votes, totaling 538 nationwide. Once the people go out and vote, whichever candidate has the most votes in their state wins all of the electoral votes for that state, with the exception of the Maine and Nebraska, they have a slightly different system. In order to win a candidate must have at least 270 Electoral Votes. 

Seems simple enough, right? The people still elect the president and vice president, right? Not so fast, on election night, usually held in early November, they announce the "winner" however, this is just a projected winner. In mid-December, they hold a separate election where members of the electoral college cast their votes. Most of the time, the electors vote for whomever won their states, however occasionally they do not. The other problem with this system is that the electoral vote does not always equal the popular vote due to the disproportions of electoral votes compared to state populations and other factors. There are at least 3 times in US voting history where the candidate who won the popular vote did not win the election. This among other things leads many people to feel like they do not have a voice. Many people think the electoral college should be abolished and that popular vote should be how we determine who is president and vice president.  

What do you think? Share your thoughts and comments below. 

Source: Overview of the presidential election process | USAGov

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