1st: We live in a
Republic not a
Democracy.
- A true democracy is by a simple google search a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
- A republic based off of dictionary.com is a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them
- For those who don't really understand what this means basically in a republic the rule of the majority is restricted vs a democracy which doesn't restrict the majority.
2nd: Why do you care about this?
- Because the electoral college is that restriction that keeps the majority from imposing its will on few.
- how the electoral college works each state has a certain number of votes that it can cast. The number of votes a state has is based on the the number of states representatives in congress ie. 2 senators and the number representatives of the state
- The number of representative changes based on the population of the state.
- Most states with the exception of Maine and Nebraska typically cast all there votes for 1 candidate or another , while Maine and Nebraska split there votes for the candidates.
3rd: How they do they decide how to cast the electoral votes.
- This is where the flaw in the electoral college is really exposed.
- The electoral college votes are cast for the candidate that won the popular vote within that state.
- What does that mean?
- Basically the majority of the state decides who the state as a whole is going to vote for.
- Seems unfair?
- It is unfair because the majority is imposing its will on the few with in the state but can't impose it's will through out the nation.
