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Asked by Jennifer Stewart 258 days 1 hour ago.

What is the importance of the electoral college vote?



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My understanding is that it's not necessarily the number of voters that count in the end, but the number of electoral college votes that a candidate gets. Is that right?

Also, is the representation by the electoral college purely mathematical - i.e. the higher the population the more electoral college votes a state has?

Answers to this question:
» Answer from Abolghasem Rajabi Answer given 256 days 21 hours ago.
it is close to the way Iran's supreme Leader is elected and will be elected in future. although there is no limit on the duration of holding power(by supreme leader) and most people who are elected(to choose supreme leader) aren't related to parties(they are independent). And the duties of Supreme leader are different. Supreme leader in Iran have determining role in government. I like to detail Iran Government system in one Article.

» Answer from Rahaman Onike Answer given 256 days 19 hours ago.
ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE AS IT ENCOURAGES CALCULATIVE AND PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IN GOVERNMENT.

» Answer from Paul Schroeder Answer given 253 days 20 hours ago.
The importance is to recall that we do not have a Democracy, where citizens have direct influence and input, but a Republic, instead, designed by founding fathers to be representative government as they truly feared direct involvement from a fickle, ill-informed and capricious populace.

» Comment from Jennifer Stewart Comment made 253 days ago.
That's an interesting answer, Paul.

» Comment from Paul Schroeder Comment made 252 days 21 hours ago.
Question authority; ask me, anything....

» Comment from Paul Schroeder Comment made 252 days 7 hours ago.
And a forty-three word long sentence, to boot.

» Answer from Octavia Hansen Answer given 240 days 7 hours ago.
The Electoral College is a better informed institution that is a safeguard against voting/election abuse. It is supposed to keep the large states from always dominating the Presidential Election. There are 4 times the college disagreed with the popular vote. Still, Gerald Ford was a President that no one voted for . . . fallout from the Watergate Scandal and a reshuffling of Senators. So, perhaps the Electoral College has run its course. When it was started, communication and information was hard to come by and slow. Now that the world communicates at the push of a button and information is everywhere, this service is no longer required. But institutions die hard.

» Comment from Jennifer Stewart Comment made 240 days 1 hour ago.
Thanks, Octavia. I can see the problem with the most populated states always dominating an election. I actually think that the fact that "information" is disseminated so rapidly now - and that people are so easily influenced by the media which has little investment in telling the truth - is a reason to retain the electoral college.

» Comment from Octavia Hansen Comment made 239 days 19 hours ago.
Very good point! Also, the Electoral College may be privy to info too close before or after an election that has to be taken into account. Still, I think they dropped the ball on the 2nd Bush term. Guess it's both sides -- need them/don't need them. Food for thought.

» Answer from Patricia Johnson Answer given 234 days 17 hours ago.
Jennifer,

The following link will answer all questions about the Electoral College.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html

What has always fascinated me on the subject is the fact that third party candidates continue to run for office and take votes away from the primary candidates, when it is virtually impossible for them to run.

Pat Johnson

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