Whats the point of the popular vote when the electoral vote decides the president ?

Question

Last time I checked popular vote decides nothing take the Gore/Bush 2000 elections . Gore won the popular vote by half a million but lost in the electoral college vote .

Answer 1

It's time to do away with the electoral college system and go with popular votes instead.

Answer 2

The United States is comprised of States. These were colonies that united against the British Empire to gain independence. When the colonies united they made many agreements. Part of this was the Electoral College system for electing Presidents. The United States is not an entirely centralized government, the States were supposed to decide who becomes President.
Very rarely does the electoral vote not elect the President that did not win the popular vote. Think about what a nightmare it was to re-count the Florida votes for the Bush vs Gore election. Imagine that but the whole United States recounting votes. That's what we will get if we do away with the electoral system. Voting is supposed to decide the President by a majority of the votes. When you get down to 100,000 votes it's more a technical thing than about a majority. The popular vote of each state goes into the electoral vote. The electoral vote is supposed to reflect the popular vote. Note that they were re-counting the popular vote in Florida, not the electoral vote. Not everything is perfectly fair, because there has to be some system that reckognizes the individual state's rights. The Senatorial system is un-balanced because tiny states like Vermont, and Rhode Island, and Wyoming get the same number of Senators as huge states like California. That was the deal when the states entered into the union, although many states were added of course. To start overriding this would not be fair for the states that entered the Union. The Union also forced the Confederate states to be part of the Union, even though the original agreement was that the States could willingly leave the Union. So if you want to make everything fair, let's let the States form thier own Countries by popular vote if they wish too. But a war was fought and won over that issue. All the countries in the world have thier own Central government, but the United States would become this huge centralized empire if all the States no longer had individual governments and rights.

Answer 3

In each states the popular vote determines who wins that state's electoral votes. The whole electoral-vote system came out of the Constitutional Conventions, when our nation's constitution was created by delegates in Philadelphia. Smaller, less populated states (i.e. NJ, CT, RI) were afraid that they would have little say in electing the president compared to the more populated states (NY, VA, MA). The electoral college was part of a compromise deal between the populated and less-populated states to even the playing field, so to speak.

The Electoral college is, indeed, quite outdated and ineffective. However, neither party has any reason to try to change it. 2000 solidified Republican's pro-"ec" standpoint, while 2004 (where, had John Kerry won Ohio he would have won the presidency without the popular vote) did the same for Democrats. There are often movements to reform the electoral college, or abolish it altogether. Most actual bills proposing amendments die in committee in the House of Representatives before even making it to be debated and voted upon.

Answer 4

There isn't really a point to a nationwide popular vote total under our current system. 48 of the 50 states give all their electoral votes to whoever gets the most popular votes in that state. Maine and Nebraska can under rare circumstances split their votes based on who gets the most votes in each congressional district within the state.

The system was actually designed to give electors (generally prominent citizens) and state legislators a chace to override the voters. The founders were concerned that a charlatan or potential dictator would dupe the ignorant public into electing them. Even today most states give the electors latitude to be "unfaithful" to the candidate that they have pledged to support.

The gross popular vote totals are merely shorthand for overall support. They even use them in Britain, where they are truly meaningless because they are voting only for their local Member of Parliament not hte Prime Minister.

Answer 5

The popular vote normally determines the electoral ones, but not always.

Answer 6

well the electoral college is made up of people that each state votes for. So pretty much if you want your president to win your gonna have to vote for a representative that wants the same president in office. I

Answer 7

Give it up, it's over man...let me guess...your next question was going to be about voter irregularities in Ohio...vote...don't vote...Gore or Bush...it doesn't matter...one has no charisma and the other has the no speaking ability....buy stock in Chinese companies...they will be your master soon enough...sad thing is they will tell you to like it and you will....

Answer 8

the electorals are suppose to vote along the lines of the people.....it doesnt always happen but thats what was intended

Answer 9

I agree whole heartedly with you. It is time for WE the PEOPLE to put our government on notice that THEY MUST represent US, WE the PEOPLE and it is time to eliminate this electoral vote which is what THEY want NOT what WE the PEOPLE want.

Answer 10

The popular vote counts for a percentage.