How should we elect presidents?

[dolphins4life]

The electoral college is utterly absurd and ridiculous.  It incentivizes governors to do poorly.  Ron DeSantis did such a good job in Florida that he effectively clinched the presidency for Biden.  

What exactly is the problem with having the popular vote decide the presidency?

I showed how in another thread.  DeSantis did so well in Florida that many Republicans have moved there in the last three years.  This means the GOP will win Florida, but Biden will win all the other states that the Republicans moved from

[AQNOR]

Because the popular vote gives the not-so-populous states a disadvantage.   If you go to a straight up popular vote, you're putting the election in the hands of the big urban cities.

[CF DolFan]

The electoral college is utterly absurd and ridiculous.  It incentivizes governors to do poorly.  Ron DeSantis did such a good job in Florida that he effectively clinched the presidency for Biden.  

What exactly is the problem with having the popular vote decide the presidency?

If you went by the popular vote New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and Philadelphia would decide the election and no one from states like Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota would have reason to vote nor would they have anyone who ever represented their interests. I feel each state should have only one vote regardless of population as no state is more important than another IMO.

[Brian Fein]

Ron DeSantis did such a good job in Florida that he effectively clinched the presidency for Biden.  

Can you elaborate on this?

[Engineering Owl]

So you really think Wyoming's population of 500k should have the same amount of power as California's 40 millions population during the presidential election?
I must have read something wrong! Because these two states are VERY different from one another!

[Dave Gray]

Electoral College may have made sense at once point, and even probably not, but it was required to get the states to agree to form a coalition.  But as people have moved to population centers, it makes less and less sense.

Would popular vote make bigger population areas more important?  Yes, because they are more important because more people live there.  But if you don't, you weigh more importance towards places where people don't live.

Your vote in California or New York is meaningless.  It's just not how this is supposed to work.

The only people who are for it are also for the Republicans who benefit from it.  That is the only reason.  Find me someone who loves the electoral college but doesn't vote for Republicans.  Everyone knows it's a farce, but it's a farce that favors one side, so they keep going with it.

[Fau Teixeira]

1 person, 1 vote,

pretty simple idea, fuck states, fuck artificial boundaries.

1 person, 1 vote.

[Dave Gray]

You have to really bend over backwards to justify making some votes count more than others.

[CF DolFan]

So you really think Wyoming's population of 500k should have the same amount of power as California's 40 millions population during the presidential election?
I must have read something wrong! Because these two states are VERY different from one another!

And that's exactly why they need the same representation. Drag Queens and their supporters from San Francisco have no idea what it is like to live in Wyoming or Utah so they wouldn't care what affects them. Other examples include it doesn't make sense to have cities and states count more because they choose to ignore immigration laws or actually identifying voters while others do not.

I'll go the opposite and ask why should Californian's should be allowed to dictate how Wyoming and Utah live?

[CF DolFan]

1 person, 1 vote,

pretty simple idea, fuck states, fuck artificial boundaries.

1 person, 1 vote.

LOL ... you wouldn't say that if conservatives were flooding our borders. You would be whining about the exact opposite.

[Dave Gray]

I'll go the opposite and ask why should Californian's should be allowed to dictate how Wyoming and Utah live?

This is poorly phrased.  We have to collectively agree how we all should live.

So, right now, Wyoming's votes count 80X the amount of Californians.  The state with more people should have more pull.  It's pretty obvious.

[CF DolFan]

This is poorly phrased.  We have to collectively agree how we all should live.

So, right now, Wyoming's votes count 80X the amount of Californians.  The state with more people should have more pull.  It's pretty obvious.

You'll never get me to agree with that. I don't think Texas or Florida should dictate to Rhode Island either. I'm more or a states rights guy and let people decide for themselves. I believe that's how our government was intended. The problem is Washington lawmakers and big corporations got greedy and started taking control and it hasn't stopped.   

[Dave Gray]

You'll never get me to agree with that. I don't think Texas or Florida should dictate to Rhode Island either. I'm more or a states rights guy and let people decide for themselves. I believe that's how our government was intended. The problem is Washington lawmakers and big corporations got greedy and started taking control and it hasn't stopped.   

States still have individual rights.  We're talking about a national leader; not a state leader.


I don't take you at your word.  If you weren't a conservative and this wasn't a political advantage, you wouldn't support it.  Anyone who believes this votes Republican because they are hostile towards Democracy and would rather just win and get what they want.

Where are those that support the Electoral College that doesn't also vote Republican.  I say this as someone who at least can defend the Electoral College as a concept when we were 13 States.  But now that we have industrialized and there are huge discrepancies in population centers, it makes no sense.

The discrepancy with the amount of Senators is already bullshit, but to also choose the President is an extra layer of bullshit.

[masterfins]

So you really think Wyoming's population of 500k should have the same amount of power as California's 40 millions population during the presidential election?
I must have read something wrong! Because these two states are VERY different from one another!

Well they don't have the same number of votes, Wyoming has the bare minimum of 3 votes, while California has 54 votes.

[Dave Gray]

Not that it even matters, but the electoral college is also harmful for both conservatives and democrats and serves to further divide the states and parties.  A conservative in California is useless and has no voice.  A liberal in Utah might as well not exist.  There is probably room for both of those states to be better and have more outreach from their national political party, but it's not happening, because there's no need.

The entire presidency is focused on the needs of like...6 States.  It's dumb; even if it had good intentions at one point, it no longer applies.