My Vote Doesn't Count?
It’s been a long time since I learned about electorial votes and such. My daughter tells me that even if every person in Utah voted for Obama, our electorial votes would still go to McCain. How is that possible? How is that fair?
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Same way someone’s vote for McCain in New York. Winner takes all, but most people in New York will vote for the Demacratic candidate.
By the way, your vote DOES count, but winner takes all.
My daughter said that since Utah is a Republican state, our electorial votes go to the Republican candidate, even if every single person votes for Obama. I thought that whoever wins in Utah gets our measley 5 electorial votes. And what does it mean to be a swing state?
Once again, your daughter is wrong. There is no such thing as a “Republican state”. If the majority of votes in Utah are cast for Obama, your electoral votes go to Obama.
Tell your daughter she’s wrong. If she argues, tell her to go find out where she thinks she got her information from.
No, your daughter is wrong. But being a republican state theres a good chance it will go in favor of McPain. That being said if “every single person” votes obama, he will get those votes. (though all he would need would be 51% of the votes) and a swing state are states like Ohio that arent really Dem or Rep so they could go either way.
It means your daughter is wrong (unless she knows of some Diebold conspiracy)
A “swing state” is one that does not consistently have its electoral votes go to one party or the other. For example, NY’s voters have consistently voted Democratic for the last several elections. It is ASSUMED that it will go to Obama in this election. It is therefore not a Swing state. However, that does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that NY cannot go to McCain. If 50.0000000001% of the votes cast are for McCain, the state goes to McCain.
“Swing States” are important because the candidates tend to focus more of their attention (and therefore their money) to those states that they know they could win, but only with a lot of effort (as opposed to those they will almost assuredly win or lose)
Maybe she just meant that since Utah is deep red, an Obama vote won’t really count because McCain will win the electoral votes.
MrItty: “There is no such thing as a “Republican state” ”
Aren’t the republican states the pro-American states that Palin talks about?
No, only certain parts of them. Like “Real Virginia”, which is to the North of “Un-American Virginia”
Because we live in a democratic republic not a democracy.
If you don’t know, should you really be voting anyways?....
@skaggfacemutt: (interesting name by the way) Here’s how it works.
Long definition of democratic republic:
There is no national election for president, only separate state elections. For a candidate to become president, he or she must win enough state elections to garner a majority of electoral votes. Presidential campaigns, therefore, focus on winning states, not on winning a national majority.
It also means that, at least in theory, electors CAN thwart the popular will and vote for a candidate not supported by the voters of their state. In PRACTICE, however, electors are pledged to cast their votes in accordance with the popular vote, and “faithless electors” who go against the popular vote are extremely rare because they don’t last long in office :).
So in theory your daughter is wrong, realistically though she COULD be right. This is also the reason that people need to get out and vote in all elections not just the presidential one.
@MrItty: Thanks for clarifying. I guess my mind got ahead of itself in thinking whole states were pro or anti american.
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