Electing the President...
I'm truly amazed as I listen to all of this talk about who to vote for in the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election. I can't even understand why tens of millions of dollars are spent in campaigning.
First of all, the job of President of the United States pays $400,000/ year (before taxes). Why would anyone spend more than the job was worth to get a job ? The only reason must be the ego of having that much power.
When you go to the "voting booth" to "vote for" the President of The United States...YOUR VOTE DOESN'T COUNT ! That's right, there is no provision anywhere, including the Constitution that allows you to vote for the office of President of the United States. The other items on the ballot are acceptable for your vote; but not the President and Vice President.
The only way that a President is elected is by a 50.1% majority vote in the Electoral College. No member of the Electoral College is ever obligated by law to vote for any of the candidates that are running. A member of the Electoral College can vote for any citizen born in the United States that meets the age qualifications for that office (even your barber or hairdresser, as an example).
Here's how that works ...
Each state is assigned (not elected) members of the Electoral College. The number is determined by the number of representatives that each state has in Congress . Each state has two Senators and the remaining number of representatives is determined by the population of that state (but never less than one).
The Electoral College meets on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to count their votes. Their votes are then counted again at a Joint Meeting of Congress on the sixth day of January to certify the totals. If no one wins a majority of electoral votes, then the election is decided by the House of Representatives by state. Each state gets only one vote.
So, when you go to the polls to vote in November, remember that it really doesn't matter who you vote for for President and Vice President. That is why we've had Presidents elected by way less than the majority of the popular vote (Bill Clinton as an example, only received 47% of the popular vote but the Electoral College voted him in).
Now that you know this, you are a wiser and more well informed American that doesn't need to waste your time listening to any of the candidates. The Electoral College can still vote Hillary into office......................Yikes
posted by The wize one @ 12:34 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
The major shortcoming of the current system of electing the President is that presidential candidates concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. Two-thirds of the visits and money are focused in just six states; 88% on 9 states, and 99% of the money goes to just 16 states. Two-thirds of the states and people are merely spectators to the presidential election. Candidates have no reason to poll, visit, advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the winner-take-all rule under which all of a state's electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state.
Another shortcoming of the current system is that a candidate can win the Presidency without winning the most popular votes nationwide.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
The bill would make every vote politically relevant in a presidential election. It would make every vote equal.
The National Popular Vote bill has been approved by 19 legislative chambers (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, Maine, North Carolina, and Washington, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring this legislation into effect.
See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com
susan
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