ST forum: No true democracy with [antiquated] US Electoral College system

The Straits Times, Published on Nov 06, 2012
No true democracy with [antiquated] US Electoral College system
TODAY'S presidential election in the United States raises the question of whether the country is really a democracy with the Electoral College system.
Does every vote count?
The US uses the Electoral College, which consists of 538 state electors to elect its president. So it is not individual Americans who vote to pick the president, but the 538 electors of the Electoral College.
In the 2000 US presidential election, Democrat Al Gore received the popular vote, but lost in the Electoral College vote count to Republican George W. Bush. Technically, Mr Gore won that election as more Americans voted for him than for Mr Bush.
This has happened three other times in past US presidential elections.
Will it happen again this time? Will the candidate with the popular vote not become the next US president?
There cannot be true democracy with the Electoral College system.
Cho Yan Fatt
Copyright © 2012 Singapore Press Holdings.
Source URL: No true democracy with US Electoral College system

Picts (from : 'The Trouble with the Electoral College' [YouTube07Nov2011])






Source video:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7wC42HgLA4k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Alternative (video)/ resources:
- 'The US electoral college explained: why we don't vote directly for a president' [The guardian/video: 28Sept2012]

USA '22% popular vote presidency' is simply medieval; pls improve it.

For record purposes:
USA '22% popular vote presidency' is simply medieval; pls improve it.

Kiwi8 (07Nov2012) said:

Re thread: No true democracy with US Electoral College system
Actually it will not be easy to change the electoral college system, partly due to the USA's formation from the federation of states. It's also partly due to the need to prevent any particular state from dominating central government just because they have more population. Also, the electoral college system ensures that all votes of a state will go to a single candidate once that candidate wins a majority of the votes in the state. It ensures that the votes of a state are focused and make the most impact.
So can't really say fair or not fair, cos USA is a federation of states and not a single nation state. :o

Click to expand...

Hi Mod:
"to prevent any particular state from dominating central government"
I have no objection according to the video ('The Trouble with the Electoral College' [YouTube07Nov2011]) @approx 1m40s showing that some states have a relatively more 'powerful vote' per person due to each states having a minimum of 3 electoral seats (every state has 2 senators regardless of the population of the state).

The Singapore equivalent is the GRC system of elections whereby minorities are 'guaranteed parliamentary representation' by virtue of one seat in each GRC being reserved for an MP of minority race.

What I do think is the BIGGER issue is the winner take all system of the US electoral college system which is what is dividing US society into 'reds' and 'blues'.

President Obama is currently the 44th president of the USA and according to 'The Trouble with the Electoral College'- 55 elections have happened, up till the 2008 US presidential elections- if every presidential term was 4 yrs and if the system hadn't been much changed for the last 200 yrs, then what the Americans are using now is probably a 200 yr old system.

Democracy in its principle form (invented in Greece @~600B.C.) was based on politically active and aware citizens voting towards the city's future after hearing public debates and speeches before public referendums and elections etc.

However, even up till the 18th century (around time of American civil war of 1861 etc) the ability to collate info regarding the popular vote for a president across all 50 US states without encountering blatant corruption etc would have been an impossibility given the dubious availability of accurate census let alone transparent voting methods- thus the then choice of a 'each state- one choice' vote for the President- suited to the technological state then- given the immediate post war state the US was in and the lack of trustworthy methods to collect accurate votes in actual number and percentage form (prevents candidates from attempting to massage state vote numbers and % to achieve a favourable majority overall). Given the state of development of the USA then, the one state one vote- voting system at that time was the optimum possible, but given the advanced voting and tracking methods available today, the possibility that someone can become President with only 22% of the popular vote [video] ought remain a relic reminiscent of mediaeval past.

" It ensures that the votes of a state are focused and make the most impact."
Given the much improved technology available today, the US presidential electoral system should be shifted towards a more popular vote rather than electoral vote system even if the scores are later slightly moderated so that less populous states can have either a slightly greater vote strength or else a minimum vote size. In any case, each state is still given equally 2 senators so as the tradition of democracy goes, each state has an equal say.

Democracy in its truest form ought to remain untainted by partisan influence but based upon the smallest individual's wisest and most unselfish decision based upon the information he has heard- elections/ referendums where "state are focused and make the most impact." thus has the propensity to divide the federation of the USA, setting up for civil war as various states take pot-shots against each other at every opportunity.

The electoral college 'each state-one choice' system is now outdated and thus unsuitable in the current technological age- as far as the standard of democracy in the USA goes, the 'each state-one choice' system remains as mediaeval as the '22% popular vote US presidency' might really turn out to be.

Re: USA '22% popular vote presidency' is simply medieval; pls improve it.

True democracy? PAP GRC systems bestest. US systems no fight.