Election question November 04, 2008, 09:56:16 PM No, not a "who did you vote for" question, nor a "Are you pissed off the other guy won" question. This is a procedural question, namely, how does the US election work? I'm seeing blue states and red states, right now both candidates are about even for popular vote, but Obama has far more "electoral votes".WTF is an "Electoral vote"? I understand that states have different amounts of "electoral votes" based on population (CA would logically have more than RI, for instance). Can a state have mixed electoral vote results, IE, could NY with its 31 electoral votes have 15 for one guy and 16 for the other, or do they just give the whole state to the guy with the most electoral votes (16, in my example)?The reason I ask is that we have a completely different system here in Canada, where we don't actually vote for our prime minister. We vote for a party. Actually, we vote for a local guy called an MP (Member of Parliament) who represents a party. Each party appoints its own leader, and if that party happens to get more MP's elected than the others, they get to call their leader Prime Minister. Indeed, unless you happen to be in the riding where the party leader is running for MP (and each party's leader runs in a different riding), the potential Prime Minister's name does not even appear on your ballot. If the party decides to replace their leader we get a new PM without ever getting to vote for him or her. This happened years ago, when Brian Mulroney resigned ("abandoned ship" would be a more apt term - he forced the GST on us and singlehandedly destroyed the Conservative party's popularity, then bailed so as to not face election himself) and Kim Campbell was assigned in his place. She was our first and only female Prime Minister, and only lasted a few months before an election was called and she was shown the door (her party was decimated, going from a strong majority to only two or three seats in parliament, they were almost stripped of "official party" status). She was a scapegoat, propped up to bear the brunt of Canadians' fury.We also have an appointed senate, and once a senator is appointed he's there for life. The government appoints senators, so naturally if a vacancy appears during a Liberal term a Liberal senate is appointed, and if it happens in a Conservative term a Conservative gets appointed. If a vacancy doesn't appear a Prime Minister can still appoint extra senators if he feels like it, like Brian Mulroney did so as to get his beloved (and loathed by Canadians) GST through.I think I like your system better, where everyone is elected. Having politicians appoint people into powerful positions (For life, as far as the senate is concerned) is teh suck. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #1 – November 04, 2008, 10:06:33 PM This is pretty accurate description wise: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States) . But in a nut shell, as the majority of the vote goes for a state, so goes it's electoral votes. Although the electoral college can go against the popular vote at it's own discretion. That is one of the "negative" aspects of the electoral college concept. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #2 – November 04, 2008, 10:11:09 PM Ok... Let's start all over with the electrical college. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #3 – November 04, 2008, 10:39:04 PM Ok, so I'm reading the Wiki thing and think I have a handle on it:Each state has a given amount of "Electors". These electors pledge to vote for a certain candidate, so if you vote for a red elector he pledges to vote for the red presidential candidate, and a blue elector pledges to vote for the blue candidate. Correct?So, keeping with NY as an example, there are 31 electors voted in by the people, right? And if 16 of those electors are blue and 15 are red, blue wins the whole state? That seems kinda silly to me (but still not quite as silly as the Canuckistan system). This is actually seeming more like the Canadian system than I thought, except that our "electors" actually go to parliament and debate/vote/bicker/waste money, where it appears to me that yours simply say "OK, if you vote for me I'm voting for this dude" and that's it for four years.It differs from the Canadian system, though, in that Nova Scotia (for example) has 11 "seats". In our recent election the Liberals got five seats, the Conservatives three, the NDP two and an independent one. The Canadian system means that each of these "seats" will be represented in parliament as elected by the people. If this was the US system the Liberals would have taken the whole province, correct? Which would have essentially left the Nova Scotians that voted Conservative, NDP and "other" completely unrepresented...Are "electors" real people? Quote Selected
Election question Reply #4 – November 04, 2008, 10:53:47 PM Now you know why were so screwed up Quote Selected
Election question Reply #6 – November 05, 2008, 12:15:26 AM Quote from: Thunder Chicken;241709Ok, so I'm reading the Wiki thing and think I have a handle on it:1. Each state has a given amount of "Electors". These electors pledge to vote for a certain candidate, so if you vote for a red elector he pledges to vote for the red presidential candidate, and a blue elector pledges to vote for the blue candidate. Correct? 2. Are "electors" real people?1. Yes but the word in there is PLEDGE. That is where in my opinion its all messed up. I haven't seen anything stating that they have to vote for who they PLEDGED to vote for? And isn't this more of and age old style of doing things when we didn't have the means to vote and tally the whole nations votes in a timely manner and gather all the information in one place. What is wrong with this many votes for this and that many for the other guy so the one with the most regular non interpridid vote instead of this cast your vote and then we vote and then you find out who won. 2. Yes they are so what is to say some High rollers haven't bought them off or some other outside influence could make them vote different than maybe they would when maybe the Right thing was more important than the self service attitude that is the norm today. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #7 – November 05, 2008, 12:46:14 AM now that the dirty little secret is out,,,,,,,All of you have it totally wrong.With all due resepct to everyone here, this is the reason why you are wrong.If no one voted, the electorial votes would still place somone as president.If eveyone voted, the electorial votes would still place someone as president.Electorial votes can be hashed out in advance behind closed doors or deals made way in advance and no one knows.It is quite possible this election was over last month or 6 months ago for all we know. SO, here is why you all have it wrong,,, your very effort to get out and vote does not matter at all,, its symbolizm. And to put icing on the cake,, we the people do not vote for the people who are in the Electorial College as it appears to me they are elected in another manner thats totaly invisible to me. Either way it does not matter because the do what they want irreguardless of what the people wish. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #8 – November 05, 2008, 12:54:02 AM You really need your birth paperwork to run at all somehow we don't have Obama's so states aside i can't get a job without paperwork so does the red or blue matter? or the fact hes half white? now i see the reason i can't drive a red,white and blue car i could not be proud of it any longer. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #9 – November 05, 2008, 01:02:37 AM Quote from: jcassity;241745SO, here is why you all have it wrong,,, your very effort to get out and vote does not matter at all,, its symbolizm. And to put icing on the cake,, we the people do not vote for the people who are in the Electorial College.So Scott I take it you are a NON voter like me! Yes I'm one of them yes it will all be my fault. Go ahead bitch, moan, complain, blame, point fingers, laugh, yell ,scream, do what ever you like. I choose not to partite in something I believe that is fix/controlled/misrepresented. If I were to vote Yes I'd be the raciest PIG (LOL) and Vote for the TURD that in my opinion will not stink up the place as bad as the other TURD. Just like everything else when all you have to pick from is SHEIOT! you get SHEIOT! as a result! Now when things are different and maybe you can really prove to me where my vote might actually account for something I choose to opt out or plee the 5th. maybe even in a Dave Chapelle they manor! LOL. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #10 – November 05, 2008, 01:03:41 AM Quote from: Carpimp1987;241747You really need your birth paperwork to run at all somehow we don't have Obama's so states aside i can't get a job without paperwork so does the red or blue matter? or the fact hes half white? now i see the reason i can't drive a red,white and blue car i could not be proud of it any longer.sleep on it and deal for the next few days, then look to jan 20th. I can only open my mind a little and give the guy a chance. I was inherintly bound to disatisfaction anyway but atleast we have reached the begining of more and different chaos atop of our already out of control chaos.Time to eliminate 401k plans per Obama.here are a few stocks Im watchng as a result of this election.Mantech InternationalCACIForce ProtectionGeneral DynamicsKBRCSI all of which are major contractors in Iraq. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #11 – November 05, 2008, 01:05:49 AM I wish we got Chris Rock or Dave Chapelle or even Wanye Brandy.I would like to laugh for 4 more years having any one of 3 guys listed here. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #12 – November 05, 2008, 01:06:41 AM QuoteI haven't seen anything stating that they have to vote for who they PLEDGED to vote for? they dont have too... Quotewe the people do not vote for the people who are in the Electorial College as it appears to me they are elected in another manner thats totaly invisible to me. Either way it does not matter because the do what they want irreguardless of what the people wish.pretty much the electoral votes come from all the preliminarys wich decide the candidates. they can still vote for whoever they want to though. Quote Selected
Election question Reply #13 – November 05, 2008, 01:47:42 AM Quote from: nirvanagod;241700This is pretty accurate description wise: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States) . But in a nut shell, as the majority of the vote goes for a state, so goes it's electoral votes. Although the electoral college can go against the popular vote at it's own discretion. That is one of the "negative" aspects of the electoral college concept.The US Presidential election is actually 50 elections. We are 50 United States. Each State has electoral votes equal to its number of members in congress. Each State can also set its own rules.48 States have winner takes all. The party with the most votes picks all the electors.While it is technically possible for an elector not vote the way they pledged it has rarely happened. I think maybe twice in the history of the republic.This is a good write-up:http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/electoral-college.htm Quote Selected
Election question Reply #14 – November 05, 2008, 02:05:16 AM It really didn't matter to me who won. Didn't like one of them too much. What pissed me of is I DIDN'T GET TO VOTE!!!yeah, I did what we call the Motor Voter registration when I renewed my license... They ask, do you want to be an organ donor, do you want to register for the draft (have to) do you want to register to vote. No, Yes, Yes... well guess what i wasn't. First election I could vote in, I was excited as hell and they shot me down... Quote Selected
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