What do you think of the electoral college now?

Ulysses · #1 11-03-2004, 04:49 AM

Looks like Bush will end up winning Ohio by 100k or so, but will win the popular vote by almost 4 million.

Had Ohio gone 150k the other way, we could easily have had a scenario where Bush lost the election but won the popular vote by something like 3.5 million.

How do you think you would have felt about the electoral college system had that occurred?

lorinda · #2 11-03-2004, 04:53 AM

Our third party gets something like (Way too late to get exact numbers) 25% of the vote and under 10% of the seats in parliament.

These systems are hideous.

Lori

adios · #3 11-03-2004, 04:59 AM

Good points, certainly the campaigns would be different if the electoral college was abolished.

flytrap · #4 11-03-2004, 05:03 AM

Well, the electoral college certainly could have helped Kerry, but without it, Gore would have won in 2000, and likely been re-elected tonight, so this is a pointless arguement without pointing out how it would have effected a Gore-Bush(or whoever the GOP canidate was) this year after a Gore victory in 2000.

natedogg · #5 11-03-2004, 05:13 AM

What do I think now? I think it will never go away for better or for worse as long as the union stays intact.

natedogg

Stu Pidasso · #6 11-03-2004, 05:22 AM

[ QUOTE ]
How do you think you would have felt about the electoral college system had that occurred?

[/ QUOTE ]

I voted for Bush.

I agree with the wisdom of the electoral college. If Kerry won Ohio and thus the election, I would not feel disenfranchised at all. Id be happy to call Kerry president even though I would wish he wasn't the president.

Stu

Danenania · #7 11-03-2004, 05:34 AM

I don't think the Electoral College is a great system, but I also think a straight popular vote system would have many problems as well. What are some of the other alternatives?

young nut · #8 11-03-2004, 05:35 AM

I agree. I support Bush, but if Kerry happened to edge out Bush in certain swing states, I would just have to deal with it.

The electoral college's purpose is so that our nations large cities (NY, Chicago, LA) can't just dictate to the rest of the country who the president will be. Having the electoral college makes the entire nation important to the elections.

lorinda · #9 11-03-2004, 05:36 AM

Transferable popular vote.

Proportional representation in the EC.

Not saying either are better, just other options

Lori

daveymck · #10 11-03-2004, 05:43 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Transferable popular vote.

Proportional representation in the EC.

Not saying either are better, just other options

Lori

[/ QUOTE ]

I dont understand why the EC doesnt split the votes on a PR basis its mad somone can poll 40%+ but gets nothing, its like over here in a majority of areas voting counts for nothing they are always one or the other without fail and its always the swing seats (or states for you) that decide the election, it ends up here that our politics is aimed at those from the demographics prevelant in those areas rather than the country as a whole.