What government elections are decided by popular vote and not the electoral college?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
22 Answers
Electors are only used in the election of the president and vice president.
The electoral college only elects the President and Vice President.
The Electoral College is in place for the presidential and vice presidential so that any mistakes made buy us peons can be corrected by the exalted members of the college. Remember our forefathers had a long tradition of Royal leadership and it was hard for some of them to become democratic. You should be aware that there is no obligation for the Electoral College to vote the way the majority of the state decided. It is very much an elitist organization whose membership is appointed, not voted. The longer it exists, the more dangerous it becomes. I suspect that the Electoral college, in the near future, will ignore the voters and elect the president they “deem necessary”. There are many ways future elections may be changed, modifying voting machine results, Nationwide software changes that change the results, Supreme Court interference, and finally an Electoral College loyal to one or the other side that throws the election to their choice and against the actual popular vote.
So who makes up the electoral college?
It is 538 citizens selected in a variety of ways, but basically, the political parties nominate electors at their state party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each state. The number of electoral votes that each state gets corresponds to the number of representatives and senators each state has in Congress and this is based on the US Census.
So…the only way we can really make a difference in a popular vote is when we vote for senators, congressmen, governors, etc. because they’re the ones who elect the the electors, right?
@Dutchess_III
Not exactly. Senators congressmen and governors have nothing to do with electors. Each party nominates an elector for each district. They typically nominate the most party faithful from their ranks. The popular vote determines which nominated elector is elected. A vote for Romney will elect the elector the Republicans nominated. A vote for Obama will elect the elector the Democrats nominated. Since most states are winner take all, we occasionally end up with a difference between the popular vote and the electoral vote. It’s only happened a couple of times, the 2000 election being the most recent.
Electors have only split from their promised vote 9 times in our history. Only once was a real split the others were pretty clearly errors in submitting the ballots. There’s not really any reason for the electoral college anymore other than to reward the most faithful in each party. Being nominated is quite a feather in their cap.
But..I’m confused. Is the presidential election determined before we even vote?
No. The popular vote directs the electors on how to vote. In the majority of states, whichever candidate wins the popular vote in that state wins all of that state’s electors. But that isn’t always true. Since the US Constitution leaves it up to each state on how to choose electors, states have different rules. For example, in Maine and Nebraska, the winner does not take all the electoral votes. The candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district wins the electoral vote from that congressional district, and the candidate who wins the entire state receives the state’s two remaining electoral votes.
So why is the Electoral Map I see on CNN already filled out? Can Kansas turn blue?
@Dutchess_III those are projections, and depending on who you ask you can get one to support nearly any position. A quick google showed at least 5 different map configurations.
These projections are how the ‘experts’ are guessing the individual states are going to vote. It is just like taking a poll of voters before the actual election. They don’t count for anything until the official tally in November.
So, what would it take for Kansas to “turn” Democrat. Bear with me guys…
More people voting to send Obama’s electors to the electoral college than Romney’s.
Well, how the hell do I put in my vote to send Obama’s electors to the electoral college???
You would have to live and be a registered voter in Kansas, then you would have to cast your ballot for Obama. You are not actually voting for Obama, but for the electors that go to Washington and cast their ballots for president during the electoral college.
This may help.
All that can truly said about the Electoral College is that the more you know, the less sense it makes. The people appointed to that office have stated loyalty to follow the will of the people and the fact that they had previously followed the vote of the majority is the most surprising fact about it. I suspect that in these contentious days, the College may not follow the will of the people but the will of their party leadership. I predict a constitutional crisis with a Republican winner dispite a Democratic popular vote.
I live in Kansas and have been registered to vote since I was 18, @WestRiverrat. The first prez I voted for was Carter.
I’ve heard of it @bkcunningham but I never knew how it worked. I still don’t to tell the truth. Confusing as hell. I don’t understand why we don’t simply have a popular vote. Seems to me it would be absurdly simply with the electronic voting capabilities we have to day. What does the Constitution say?
Rarebear told me that the GWB was voted in by the electoral college, although Gore had the popular vote. If that doesn’t prove that we peons are smart enough to make our own decision, I don’t know what is.
How do I find out WHO my electors are??
They are listed on my ballot. I think you have to wait for the Kansas state conventions to be done before they are actually set. I usually get a sample ballot from the courthouse when they become available so that I can see who they are.
They are selected for each election cycle, so they change.
Answer this question 
