Why do we still use the "Electoral Congress"?

Question

With the technology today why does my single vote not count? I can see how our forefathers needed it but now it's time for 1person 1 vote.

Answer 1

Electoral College. I weep for the future *sigh*

Answer 2

Because the simple truth is that majority opinion does not equal truth. If 51% of the population wrote in "Snoopy" then would we make Snoopy our president? The truth is that the forefathers realized that, many times, the common people are too ignorant to know what is good for them the way that parents know that vegetables and doing homewrok is good for a child even if the child cannot understand how. Everyone would vote for no taxes, but we'd be screwed, wouldn't we? Simply, we cannot trust common man to rule himself. The forefathers knew that.

Answer 3

It's not a question of technology but of the role of the federal government. The federal government is the representative of the states, not the people. If we went to direct democratic elections, then state governments would be redundant.

Also, without the electoral COLLEGE, what reason would small states have to remain part of the US?

You get your democracy at the state level. Governors are democratically elected. That's the way it is supposed to be, because they are more directly involved in your daily life. The federal government isn't, or at least shouldn't be.

Answer 4

Its the "Electoral College" and it is in place to limit the voting power of large population centers. The natural tendency in a democracy is for the large population centers to vote alnog a similar lines. In a country like the US where much of the population is rural the electoral college gives those people that are scattered out in the country a chance to keep their rights intact.

Its nothing to do with technology, its an intentional forethought to keep the country folk involved and to keep thier rights intact. Additionally it serves to keep states rights above federal powers, and helps the smaller states to survive politically.

Answer 5

Until the Constitution is amended, the Congressional College is the method of choosing the president. Likewise, as we can learn by reading the Federalist Papers, there was a great mistrust of pure democracy. Many forefathers sought a system of government that was SLOW and DELIBERATIVE so as not to make hasty decisions.

Answer 6

It has nothing to do with technology. It is about protecting the rights of those in less populated states. If you have a problem with the all or nothing approach your state takes to apportioning its votes go to your state capital and lobby to have it changed. There is nothing wrong with the system. It is the way the states choose apply their votes that leaves many feeling that their individual vote didn't count. Government starts close to home not in DC.

Answer 7

If you know the original need you know the reason we still have it.

However the majority of states have a winner takes all system. I'd like that changed to a percentage allocation. Imagine this. You have two states with equal EC votes. One candidate wins one state by the narrowest of margins. Another candidate wins the other state by a 4:1 margin. Is it right each candidate get the same number of EC votes?

Answer 8

It benefits both parties to have the Electoral Congress. It won't change without some progressives taking it on. This is a good question though. We as citizens need to be counted. I think the first step is removing the polling machines and going back to paper ballots so they can not be altered.