Anthony Said:

Where can I buy an electoral college vote so that my vote counts this election?

We Answered:

Electoral college votes are not for sale. Electors are required to vote in accordance with the poplular vote for their state.

The Electoral College was in part designed to force the candidates to appeal to a broad range of people in many states large and small. If we did away with this system, the candidates would be able to focus on getting votes in several large cities. They might ignore less populated portion of the country.

Remember that the United States is a union of 50 separate and independent states. We are not just one big country. On Election Day we do not have one big national election, but instead we hold 50 separate elections, one for each state. In this way each state determines who they want to be President. Each state has different rules that determine how their electors in the college must vote. Almost all states require all of their electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote for that state. Your vote does count!

Each state has electors equal to their total number of congressional seats in the House and Senate. This gives small states like Wyoming and Rohde Island power in the Electoral College that is slightly disproportionate to their population. This is much like the way these small states have slightly disproportionately more power in Congress. This was a compromise that the founding fathers came up with to prevent the states with large populations dominating the national government and exercising control over smaller states.

The fact that on rare occasions the winner of the Electoral College vote will be different from the winner of the nationwide popular vote is not an accident or flaw in the system. The nationwide popular vote is not even mentioned in the constitution. It is merely a number that the news media reports. The founding fathers never had any intention that our President should be elected by way of national popular vote.

A constitutional amendment would be required to change the system. Small states would never agree to ratify such an amendment. It is highly unlikely that it would ever pass.

Howard Said:

Can someone explain electoral votes and whether my vote counts?

We Answered:

The electoral college is a compromise built into the Constitution. At the time the Constitution was written, small states were worried about being overwhelmed by the bigger states, so they put in the Constitution that each state would have a number of electoral votes equal to its number of senators and congressmen. This gives smaller states slightly more power since even the smallest state has at least two senators and one representative.

Electors for each state vote the way the majority of the people in the state voted. They don't vote until after the election, of course.

When you hear that Obama is ahead in electoral votes, what that means is that pollsters have taken polls in all the states, predicted which way each state will vote, and then counted the electoral votes for those states and Obama is leading in those prospective electoral votes. But as they say, the only poll that really matters is on November 4th.

Amanda Said:

Do you think your vote counts?

We Answered:

Everyone's vote counts, even if it's not for the winner. A vote is a statement of where you want the country to go. Even if you don't win, your voice is heard. Now all you have to do is get others to lend their voices to yours.

Melinda Said:

How do I know my vote counts w/ absentee ballot?

We Answered:

Absentee ballots are only counted if there is a tie.

You probably mailed it too late, they usually have to be in a month or two in advance.

Connie Said:

Do you really feel as if your vote counts?

We Answered:

NO I don't why because the government thinks we the people are too stupid and uneducated to truly elect a leader as well as we are a republic, where people are made to feel that their votes count due to representation, but that is a myth .. proof? here the majority (republican state ) voted for term limits to end career politics, and it passed, but then the republican representative went to the supreme court (controlled by congress..well at least influenced by them) and had our, The peoples vote overturned.. so I can definitely with strong conviction say NO ... but for the record.. i do still vote just in case someday we get a little justice!