As the general election comes closer, I've found that more and more people don't quite understand how America's electoral process works. Many believe that the president is determined by the popular vote, and I thought I'd give my two cents to clear up this misconception.
What is the Electoral College?
It's an institution that votes for the president. It is composed of electors, and each state has a certain amount. The number of electors a state gets is determined by the total of Senators and House members the state has. While the public votes on an individual, their votes do not get directly tallied. Rather, they get tallied in their state, and the pledged electors vote on their behalf.
How Do The Electors Vote?
Where this can get confusing is how the electors vote. In most states, there's a "winner takes all" mentality, where whichever party wins the popular, majority vote, gets all of the state's electoral votes. Two states are an exception to this though, Maine and Nebraska. Here, the electoral vote can be split. So while in Texas a 51 percent Republican vote will give all of Texas' Electoral votes to the Republican party, in Maine the Republicans can take just half of them. Also, while Electors pledge to vote a certain way, they can choose to vote against the public's wishes. This doesn't really happen but it is possible!
So What's The Deal of Bush v. Gore?
This was a Supreme Court case in regards to the 2000 General Election. There was a discrepancy in the ballots; the "butterfly ballots" caused problems because it misled voters as to where to punch in their vote. While Gore won the popular vote, Bush won the Electoral vote. This became very problematic for many Democrats, because they believed that the American people had elected Gore, but because of our political system, the wrong man had been elected. Regardless, the Supreme Court voted against a recount in Florida, and Bush became president.
If It's Not A Popular Vote, Does My Vote Even Count?
Yes. Many are under the impression that because of the Electoral system, one's vote doesn't count. While it not matter much big picture, it counts in the context of your state! Your vote goes towards a party in your state, and can influence whether that party gets the state majority vote, and thereby the Electoral votes.
Hopefully this basic explanation was somewhat helpful. As an American it's important to know your rights, one of which is the right to vote! Make sure to exercise your right (many have died to give it to you), but be aware of how the system works!
