Comments on: Don’t Vote, So I Can’t Hear You Complain

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:48:00 +0000

I don’t think that a strict popular vote tally is necessarily the way to go, primarily due to the level of work involved. I don’t know, though, if the idea of campaign style shift would be that much different than what we have now. Almost no campaign time was spent by either McCain or Obama in anything but “battleground” states recently. It’s kind of a wash, in my opinion.

I do think that the split elector system is something to explore. At least it’s somewhat more representative of the actual popular vote, as opposed to the current electoral system.

By: Dones

Dones — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:53:17 +0000

I’ve been meaning to ask you all day, Jeff: What about the argument that going only popular vote for the presidency leads to candidates only campaigning in the population centers? No one will care about Iowa, New Hampshire…and no one will ever, ever care about Kansas in the presidential race. At least with the electoral college, if Kansas appears close, the candidates might campaign here to try to turn the tide…

Also, I’m fully in favor of the Maine/Nebraska technique of apportioning their electors based on districts and/or percentage. What do you think?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:09:23 +0000

I’m not specifically abstaining from the rest due to the electoral college. I am abstaining, because I don’t have a particular interest in any of the issues on the ballot, and quite a few people are running unopposed in Douglas County. I probably would just skip everything else anyway.

By: Dones

Dones — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:41:41 +0000

A fair point, but are you abstaining from all elections just because of the electoral college in the top race? I don’t think anything will change that way either.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:12:39 +0000

I get what you’re saying, but I have to respectfully disagree on at least one major point. I, personally, do think it’s entirely valid and warranted to complain (loudly, at that) about the electoral system. I have no intention of voting mainly because of that system (the other issue being that I am neither poor nor rich enough that any politician cares about my interests). Just because I happen to live in a dyed-in-the-wool red state, a vote for president in any other fashion is effectively useless. Of course, the same, but opposite, circumstance exists in states that almost always go blue.

Until this country sees fit to truly use a system that reflects the popular vote, I have no intention of participating. I don’t know what, specifically, would be a better way to do things, but I’m confident that we couldn’t do much worse.

I respect your position, and I’m not arguing that anyone should do things my way, necessarily. I just don’t agree with the idea that those who choose to abstain because the system doesn’t work should be encouraged to remain silent. Nothing ever changes like that.