do you think that getting rid of the electorial college will promote americans to vote for elections?

Answer 1

If we abolished the Electorial College, it could only get better. So many dienfranchised Americans could be persuaded to come out and vote. Its a shame that they must be persuaded to vote in the first place, but so many Americans don't feel as if their votes count- and they are right! How many votes have been "lost" or in the case of Florida "not counted" or :disqualified.

If political parties actually cared about getting people out to vote then they would go out and actively sign people up! The Majority of people who aren't voting are young, under the poverty level or Seniors also under the poverty level. They are people who are traditional overlooked while also being some of the people who depend on Govt assistance. Its no wonder that these programs that are being gutted to pay for the War are hurting those least likely to vote to change it.

How about a personal challenge. Every person who reads this should encourage one person to register to vote and remind them when to go, then if they in turn do the same, we may be able to effect change to bring this country back to its senses.

Answer 2

Yes and no, i personally want the electoral college do be rid of and go to a popular vote, but the real problem with the current US electoral system is the way it is set up into two parties. I cant recall an election where two candidates that where running for president that i actually wanted to vote for. Regardless of party affiliation each canident didn't seem to convey the type of leader that should run the country. So maybe doing away with the electoral college might persuade some people to vote, most, that i have had this discussion with, have be disillusioned by the fact that they are forced to vote for one of two candidates that they dont really like or agree with. it would be nice if USA could go to a multi party system like a lot of the other democratic countries, and third party candidates dont count because it will be a cold day in hell when one of them wins, they simplify dont have the constituents to make any substantial gains.

Answer 3

Yes and no.
Yes because one of the reasons they came up with the electoral college was because there were a lot of uneducated and illiterate people voting, as well as the time it took to count all votes. (As per my college US History 1A and 1B classes.) Its like saying to modern people that they are too stupid to have their individual votes count. Though, I must say there really should be some sort of test of knowledge about the issues because many people vote for one party regardless of their stance in many things, just because they like that party. Dumb.

No, because a lot of Americans have been so let down by the mistakes of past and present US leaders that they won't vote ever again. Others feel that there is no such thing as a decent and honest candidate... I mean, you watch the debates or even speeches and you hear them talk trash about eachother just as much if not more than you hear about the issues. They are like stupid little teenagers, yet they are in on average their 50's-60's. If we don't want a bickering group of teenagers in charge of the country then many won't vote for a long while... just look at Congress and Bush. They are worse than my teeny-bobber cousins.

The American government and politics is becomming a joke. They don't do what the people want them to, they argue pettily over a number of things that should take some serious thought and compromise, and America is becomming a laughing stock among Europeans. Embarassing.

Answer 4

Yes. I think a lot of people feel (and rightly so) that there vote may not count. Under the current system, in most states who ever gets the most votes gets ALL of the electoral votes from that state. That means that every vote for the other candidate looses it's power. In a straight popular vote, every votes carries the same weight as it should be.

The electoral college made sense when the country was first founded and it took weeks to get results back to the capital. With modern vote counting processes, 95% of the votes are counted with in minutes of the polls closing.

Answer 5

Americans have the right not to vote for pols, and we vote by what we buy and where we live and what we drive etc, so don't worry about the number of votes or if there should probably be more voters. The electoral college looked bad for fans of Al Gore and Joe Lieberman in 2000,and seems to favor Republicans, but that could change since it was GOP that limited the Presidency to 2 consecutive terms to avoid another FDR scenario, and it backfired by keeping Eisenhower and Reagan to 2 terms each. Just because you want something to change, doesn't mean it should.

Answer 6

I don't think that the electoral college will be abolished any time soon. Here's an idea: let's abolish the office of elector, keep the electoral votes and have the electoral votes be allocated proportionally in each state. So, if you live in a state with 3 electoral votes, a candidate could win an electoral vote with 25% (100/ number of state electoral votes+1). This would work better with a preferential ballot (Instant Runoff Vote). Thanks!

Answer 7

well, I guess then more populous states will *definitely* flagrantly have the most influence in determining the outcome of elections. The electoral college system may not be perfect but it's a whole lot better than some of the responses mentioned thus far.

It'll be like getting rid of the bi-cameral legislature system.

Apathy, perceived inconvenience, and/or sense of hopelessness/futility of voting is probably the more plausible reasons for americans not voting. Emotional knee-jerk solutions to the problem does nothing to ameliorate situation.

Answer 8

If ANY institution has outlived it's original reason for being created or is no longer necessary it is that idiotic Electoral College.

That was fine back when people and towns were few and far between, but in this day of instant communications... where, theoretically we could all vote online... anY institution that can make the decision for is is hopelessly outdated

Unfortunately, the politicians know how to manipulate the numbers... the last thing they would want would be a POPULAR VOTE.

Answer 9

Why does everyone ask this question?

People who have no interest in the running of this country say they don't vote because their vote doesn't matter. Don't they realize that to abolish the electoral college will require an amendment which in addition to having Congress pass, will require the states to pass? Will they be apathetic about this vote too?

The framers thought long and hard about the electoral process - they wanted to avoid populism, and allow all states to participate in the electoral process. Give them some credit.

Answer 10

It may or may not get more people to vote, that's debatable.

But, as far as I'm concerned, popular vote it the only fair way to elect officials. How can it be that you get the most votes but you don't win. Absolutely ridiculous!!! I don't care whether its a Democrat or Republican (I've voted both ways).