Electoral College OR Popular Vote???
Just in case someone doesn't really know what the electoral college is... A general definition from Wikipedia: The United States Electoral College is the body that elects the president and vice president of the United States every four years. Citizens of the United States do not directly elect the president or the vice president; instead they choose "electors", who pledge beforehand to vote for the candidate who wins in their party.
Each state gets to choose as many electors as the combined total of the number of U.S. senators and representatives to which the state is entitled. The District of Columbia gets at most the number of electors it would have if it were a state but not more than the number of electors of the least-populous state (currently three). There are therefore currently 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 representatives and 100 senators in the House of Representatives and the Senate, plus the three electors for the District of Columbia. The Constitution bars any federal official, elected or appointed, from being an elector.
A little history.... The electoral college was formed in 1787! Really! It was formed because people didn't know about the candidates. They didn't travel to meet them. They didn't have access to the information to learn about them. The members who were chosen to vote for the electoral college, then educated themselves on the candidates.
Now....here's my question. Is this really relevant today??? My opinion is no.
The majority of the public has access to the internet, with all it's good and bad information. This gives them the power to research and learn about the candidates running for election. Obviously, with that comes all the misinformation that is on the internet. One must be diligent in choosing where their information comes from! I like to read on the candidates personal websites. This gives the information that tells what they stand for. What they want to do for our country. What they have previously done. Then you can also check voting history for past politicians at Vote Smart. My research turned up, that it is an unbiased site.
Now, I'm sure you've all seen all the memes that are on social media. Here's one for example...
And yes.... approximately 1/2 the population might live in those areas. But what the general population isn't understanding, is that not everyone in those areas thinks or votes the same way. I live in the grey...and more people in the US agreed with me apparently in voting for Hillary Clinton.
There are people in the blue areas that voted for Donald Trump. There are lots of people in the grey areas that voted for Hillary Clinton. If people in the grey didn't vote for Hillary Clinton, she would not have won the popular vote.
Let's use Missouri, since I live here. According to this map....only Kansas City and St. Louis areas voted for Hillary Clinton. I know this is incorrect, as she received 936 votes from tiny little St. Clair County. In total, she received 1,054,889 votes in Missouri. Donald Trump only received 1,585,753 votes in Missouri. This map does nothing to show that 40% of our state voted for Hillary Clinton. To me....this map shows that 95% of Missouri voted for Donald Trump, which we know is incorrect.
To me...this isn't Civics 101. This is real life! You have to understand that people from all walks of life, live in all different parts of the country. The major populated areas are not the only ones who vote. They are not the only ones who should be heard.
A popular vote would encourage people from everywhere to vote. It would encourage everyone from every walk of life, to let their voices be heard.
Your vote would count. My vote would count. Each and every voter would count.
Right now.... my vote essentially didn't count. I'm a blue, in a giant sea of red. I knew which way my state would swing. But....if every democratic voter in the state of Missouri had opted to stay home on election day....Hillary Clinton would not have won the popular vote. So, our votes did count. To me, they prove why the electoral college is no longer needed, and why the people of the US should have their voice and vote heard!
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