History is scheduled to repeat itself and Ohio has been dubbed the new Florida. With celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z out on the campaign trail, it would’ve been a great weekend to visit the Buckeye State. The message they’re all hoping to convey: make your vote
count. Amongst the millions of photos of not-so-cute kids and invitations to play internet poker or the annoying Facebook status updates that read: “I’m not going to vote. It doesn’t matter.” That, my friends, is a lie. Forget the way you think the United States Electoral College undervalues your voice in elections; there’s some rhyme and reason to the process. Since you’re likely to complain about something in the next four years, at least be able to say you have the right too. As apparently most of us missed the civics lesson during which the Electoral College was taught, here’s the quick and dirty:
- Votes for the electoral votes are dispersed based on the 2010 Census, effective until the presidential race of 2024. Virginia, for example, has 13 electoral votes; 11 for each member of the House and two for each senator.
- There are 538 electoral votes meaning the vying candidate must get 270 to secure the win.
- The most important states are California, Texas, Florida and New York as they all have more than 25 electoral votes. States like Ohio and Florida also play an important role in the count as it is generally considered a “swing state”.
- Electors are usually selected at party conventions by the party’s central committee. These people might be elected officials, party leaders or affiliates of one of the presidential candidates.
- In most states, Maine and Nebraska excluded, the President who wins the popular vote for that state will receive all the electoral votes.
The “why” of it all:
- To maintain the separation of powers. Critics argue that the popular votes decide the House of Representative members and therefore would unfairly decide the president.
- To neutralize the effect of voter turnout from state to state.
- The smaller states get some shine because of the Electoral College. By small(er) states, I mean the swingers like Ohio, Florida and my home-state, North Carolina. Consider New York (which always goes Democrat) and Texas (which always goes Republican) – candidates can safely devote less time and money to campaigning in these highly populated states which always favor candidates by party.
To most the Electoral College still doesn’t make much sense. With incidents like Florida’s recount of 2000 in our rearview it seems easier to forego the mess and go with a popular vote. Consider the way Hurricane Sandy affected New Jersey and New York. Both states usually go blue. If we went with the popular vote for those states many Obama supporters would be excluded. Because of the Electoral College, the winner for each state will be based on the results of the votes tallied. For now the Electoral College is here to stay; for now your vote matters. For now, make it count!
Source: The United States Electoral College. The National Archives and Records Administration. http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html. October 24, 2012.
-Brian Riddick
Author
