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Politics

It's Your Call: Electoral College or Popular Vote?

November 9, 2016 - 6:15pm

TV networks are reporting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has won the popular vote, while President-elect Donald Trump won the electoral college, thus claiming the White House.

At 8 a.m. EST Wednesday, the Associated Press showed Clinton with 59.16 million votes nationally, compared to Trump's 59 million votes.

The final count of remaining precincts won't change the fact that Clinton won the popular vote. That's done. The margin is small -- with only 0.2 percentage points between the two candidates, but the result is set: Clinton has recorded more votes than Trump. 

It's a result that mimics the 2000 results, the only other time in the nation's history that the presidential loser won the popular vote. In 2000, remember, Democrat Al Gore narrowly won the popular vote but George W. Bush won the White House.

How does the Electoral College system work?

Again, the U.S. president is not directly chosen by voters, but by ‘electors’ that people in a state vote for.

The more people in a state, the more electors an area has. For example, Texas has a population of 25 million and is afforded 38 Electoral College votes, while Delaware has a population of 936,000 and has only three votes.

There are 538 electors in total, corresponding to 435 members of Congress, 100 senators and three additional electors for the District of Columbia. They will meet in their respective states on Dec. 19 to ultimately elect the president.

Almost every state chooses to allocate all its Electoral College votes to whoever comes in first place statewide, regardless of their margin of victory.

Whoever gets to 270 electoral votes first -- the majority of the 578 total votes -- wins the election. And this time it was Trump, 279 electoral votes to Clinton's 228 electoral votes.

To learn more about the Electoral College, click here.

Our question to you now is this:

Should the Electoral College be abolished and the president of the United States be elected by simple popular vote?

 

Comments

One vote one count. Abolish the Electoral College System it is a scam period.

In a nutshell, it appears that Clinton won the popular vote by about 200,000 votes, give or take. She won California by 2,500,000 and New York by 1,500,000. If the popular vote elected the President, 1 state would have elected the President. The electoral college system is not perfect but, it allows 50 states, with some consideration for population, to elect the President. This is not about how we can make your candidate win, but to consistently use the system that makes the most sense. Riots and temper tantrums aside.

The EC was set up to level the playing field for a minority, those living in lesser populated areas. There are lots of political minorities in the US today and we don't make adjustments for them. Level the playing field to neutralize the subjectivity of this outdated custom that skews the will of the people. We kill people in other nations and destroy the fabric of their cultures enforcing this "one person/one vote" lie in the name of democracy. We are hypocrites. To make matters worse, Donald Trumpf will raise the debt astronomically, just to get rid of hard working people and invite Russia, racists, and the crooked, wasteful elite to the seat of power as they stroke him while they rob US. Government will be bigger than it has ever been and we will be bankrupt while he (who has never shown his taxes which must be hiding more evil than we already know about him) will be filthier richer while his "children" run his businesses. He's a child with an automatic weapon and Daddy and Daughter issues. The people did their job by voting against him. The fallout from this lands squarely on the shoulders, and souls of the EC. THEY elect the president. We Republicans will still control Congress but if the EC let's Trumpf succeed, they will be inviting the fall of the United States, in one fell swoop.

It only makes sense to you, because each time this has happened a Republican was put in office. Bush Jr. sure did great for the economy, not like we didnt experience the worst recession since the great recession. I guess it was time that the minority of the country pick an even crazier Republican to give it another go.

The EC protects the equal right of every state to have a voice in the choice of the POTUS. Without it our President would be chosen by California, Texas, New York and Florida; i.e. the four most populous states leaving the rest of the country with no voice If anyone's interested in changing the constitution, let's start with Congressional TERM LIMITS. Public service was never meant to be a career opportunity.

I think you are a little confused popular vote means every vote counts. With the EC someone else cast your deciding vote and not necessarily for the person you voted for. Think about this, it should make you feel disenfranchised. They do this in December after the election so don't hold your breath.

But its already been chosen by those states. The system is broken. Over the last years its been mostly Florida who chooses the winner. So your choice in other states hardly matter, especially in middle America.

Florida doesn't choose the winner. All the states play a part in choosing the winner. The only reason you hear so much about Florida is because both parties have a chance to win that state. But an electoral vote from Alabama or Oregon counts just as much as one from Florida.

They will never get rid of the Electoral College. Won't happen, and the framers didn't want it to happen. Take a Constitutional Amendment. Two thirds of the House. Two thirds of the Senate. And two thirds of the states ratifying it. The small states get somewhat disproportionate power with the current system. They would NEVER give it up. You could not get this much agreement if the question was whether we should have turkey for Thanksgiving. And by the way...where is that Jerry? Has Jerry left the building? Is he with Rosie crossing the Niagra River? Is he OK? While I didn't agree with his drivel, I did get used to hearing from him. Jerry, you OK?

The National Popular Vote law has been enacted by 11 jurisdictions possessing 165 electoral votes — 61% of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate it. District of Columbia – 3 electoral votes Hawaii – 4 electoral votes Illinois – 20 electoral votes Maryland – 10 electoral votes Massachusetts – 11 electoral votes New Jersey – 14 electoral votes Washington – 12 electoral votes Vermont – 3 electoral votes California – 55 electoral votes Rhode Island – 4 electoral votes New York – 29 electoral votes

Thanks "Trapper" for explaining it simply so even the "unwashed" could understand it, and never get to performing "hangings" merely by a "show of hands" majority. (I think "jerry" [formerly "jerryd"] must be at his Doctor's office finagling a marijuana prescription)...

So where the hell is Jerry?

Jerry mandering

When any portion of votes are from illegals.. then it is flawed and should not be counted. States where illegals voted.. should be disqualified. If you are not intelligent enough to have Voter ID. then you shouldn't be voting. Period.

What type of query is that? I wasnt aware intelligence was needed to get a Voter ID. First if "illegal" people pay taxes I don't see whats the problem. You know who doesnt pay taxes, The elite, and Trump.

The purpose of the Framers' electoral college is to appoint a man of nationwide reputation unbeholden to factions or political parties. Only then, when Presidents didn't owe political debts, could they be expected to fullfil their duty to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." The Framers would recoil at the idea of limiting the practical vote of state electors to one of two nominees of outright political factions. http://articlevblog.com/2016/08/the-framers-president-ii/ The Framers' President.

Actually, we've had four previous times where the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency: 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. Electoral College is intended to prevent tyranny of the majority.

Yes, abolish the electoral college!

The EC is an important and integral part of our Constitutional Republic (it is NOT a "constitutional democracy" as one well-known candidate recently stated). It should be retained for the very same reason the improperly ratified 17th Amendment should be repealed. There is no reason to have a two chamber Congress with both a House and Senate if States have no representation in Washington. But denying State legislatures the right to pick their own Federal Senators is to deny States their proper power in Washington. Woodrow Wilson (or his wife, who acted on his behalf after he was incapacitated), illegally declared the 16th and 17th Amendments ratified (some states change the proposed amendments and ratified the changed amendments, the the changes were not adopted by other states). The 16th and 17th amendments have done more damage to this nation than any other Progressive act to weaken our Constitution'a checks and balances against runaway federal power. This is why we need an Article V Convention to propose changes that will still have to be properly ratified by States (just as if the amendments/changes were proposed by Congress). Read our Contitution if you want a better understanding. Don't read it if you want to be a good Progressive.

The 14th could stand some scrutiny also!

You are exactly correct.

This is a stupid, Low Info question to even entertain. Google the EC and educate yourself.

Comments are now closed.

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