Is a vote for anyone else...

[RamboPreacher]

Is a vote for anyone other than McCain, a vote for Obama?
Just curious how others feel about this particular issue. please leave the candidate talk out of here, just wanting to know how you feel about THIS issue.

[TW]

With the current election situation, yes a vote for a third party or candidate has the effect of giving your vote to one of the major parties or the other. The party that benifits from your vote is which ever party holds even the slightest edge. Now, I do belive in voting for the peson that you feel most qualified. However, the realities of the day render this vote useless.


TW

[EagerBeaver]

Depends on what state you live in.

[RamboPreacher]

Depends on what state you live in.

any explanation? I am mulling over the options. not idealistically, but in reality in todays circumstances and this election.

[EagerBeaver]

If your state is already decidedly for one candidate, go vote and do what you want. If your state is a battleground state, you're kinda stuck between two choices.

[Paully_44]

Does it really matter who "we" the people vote for in the Presidential election? I thought the vote that counted was that of the electoral college?

[soulsearcher]

Paully, my exact thought, too. I'd like someone to explain that to me. I've heard, "Your vote counts - but not really, because ultimately the electoral votes win the presidency." Well, does it or doesn't it?

[dolfan]

I am voting "other". I think it matters now where you have third party candidates whose total support exceeds the current polling differences between Obama and McCain.

It also matters where you are. Alabama, as foreswalker aptly pointed out, is going to be a McCain state. It is red red, presidentially speaking. I could vote for Bob Barr and it won't jeopardize McCain's chances of being president one bit. But, I'm not going to give Obama the margin of my vote against McCain even in a state that is safe for McCain.

[dolfan]

Your vote elects electors to the electoral college. Those electors are partisans pledged to support the party's nominee. There is no legal obligation that they vote as pledged, however. But, there's been no case where the majority of electors have gone against the wishes of those who voted for them. In other words, when Bush beat Gore electorally in 2000 but lost by roughly 500K votes in the popular vote count, the difference was that his pledged electors voted for him and there were simply enough to make him president.

There's never been an instance where, for example, Republican electors break away and vote for the Democrat who won a minority of the popular vote. That would cause an uproar never to be silenced, IMHO.

Electors for each state equal the total number of representatives that particular state has in the Congress, including the 2 senators. The least amount of electors any state may have is 3 (1 House rep, 2 senators). Most states are winner take all, but a couple (Nebraska and Maine, and maybe there's another) award electors according to the party who won their respective congressional districts. There's no constitutional rule about how that gets allocated and each state decides how to do it. The brilliance of federalism.

[soulsearcher]

Thanks, dolfan, for taking the blinders off - and totally knocking me out cold.

[Pastor Gary]

Thanks, dolfan, for taking the blinders off - and totally knocking me out cold.

You should know better than to try to beat a lawyer at debate!

[Paully_44]

Your vote elects electors to the electoral college.

And that process has already taken place hasnt it? I thought that when the November election comes around, our vote is only the "popular" vote, not the one that actually counts.

[forestwalker]

There's never been an instance where, for example, Republican electors break away and vote for the Democrat who won a minority of the popular vote. That would cause an uproar never to be silenced, IMHO.

I wish someone would. It's probably the only thing that would generate enough attention and outrage to finally kill off the electoral college.

[rjjunior]

Other: Technically, a vote for a third-party is a vote for the eventual winner. So, the argument could be made that a vote for 3rd party is a vote for McCain! (unfortunately, the 3rd parties that will get votes are right of center...)

[TW]

There is nothing wrong with the Electoral College. It has served it's function for 200+ years. It has prevented a hand full of states from controlling the Office of the President, which could occur with a popular vote victory. The ten most populace states could elect the President and the rest of the country could not prevent it. The ten most populace states are:

California 36,553,215
55 11.95%

Texas 23,904,380
34 7.81%

New York 19,297,729
31 6.31% 26.07%

Florida 18,251,243
27 5.97%

Illinois 12,852,548
21 4.20%

Pennsylvania 12,432,792
21 4.06%

Ohio 11,466,917
20 3.75%

Michigan 10,071,822
17 3.29%

Georgia 9,544,750
15 3.12%

North Carolina 9,061,032
15 3.08%

Total Seats in the Electoral College 256

Total percentage of the population 53.42%

This system is designed so that the big states cannot force their will upon the smaller states, a great idea IMHO. People really need to learn what form of government we have and how it works.


TW