Has the time come to abolish the Electoral College???

Good Question considering Hillary Won the Popular Vote but Trump Won the Electoral College, Still not convinced I want to "Throw the Baby out with the Bathwater" but a very reasonable Question at this point when Bush Jr pulled the same trick off.

I think the electoral college needs to be eliminated and we really need to look at how representation works and base it more on populations. Representation should be roughly equivalent to population. Right now we have low-population rural states with the same influence as states with 50 times the amount of population. I live in Northern Virginia. 9 cents out of every 10 cents of tax revenue in Virginia comes from this tiny part of the state, yet the representation does not match the population here. We should fix this.

I don't believe when it come to voting for president..IT DON'T COUNT

Just so you know who is really picking out Next President....

Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Who are the Electors?

What are the qualifications to be an Elector?
The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the qualifications of Electors. Article II, section 1, clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. As a historical matter, the 14th Amendment provides that State officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or given aid and comfort to its enemies are disqualified from serving as Electors. This prohibition relates to the post-Civil War era.

Each state’s Certificates of Ascertainment confirms the names of its appointed electors. A state’s certification of its electors is generally sufficient to establish the qualifications of electors.

Who selects the Electors?
The process for selecting Electors varies throughout the United States. Generally, the political parties nominate Electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each State. Each candidate will have their own unique slate of potential Electors as a result of this part of the selection process.

Electors are often chosen to recognize service and dedication to their political party. They may be State-elected officials, party leaders, or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate.

On Election Day, the voters in each State choose the Electors by casting votes for the presidential candidate of their choice. The Electors’ names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State. The winning candidate in each State—except in Nebraska and Maine, which have proportional distribution of the Electors—is awarded all of the State’s Electors. In Nebraska and Maine, the state winner receives two Electors and the winner of each congressional district receives one Elector. This system permits the Electors from Nebraska and Maine to be awarded to more than one candidate.

Are there restrictions on who the Electors can vote for?
There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories—Electors bound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Constitution does not require that Electors be completely free to act as they choose and therefore, political parties may extract pledges from electors to vote for the parties’ nominees. Some State laws provide that so-called "faithless Electors"; may be subject to fines or may be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be replaced by a substitute elector. The Supreme Court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the Constitution. No Elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged.

Today, it is rare for Electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party’s candidate. Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party. Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of Electors have voted as pledged.

List of State Laws and Requirements Regarding the Electors
as of November 2000

Source: Congressional Research Service

The Office of the Federal Register presents this material for informational purposes only, in response to numerous public inquiries. The list has no legal significance. It is based on information compiled by the Congressional Research Service. For more comprehensive information, refer to the U.S. Constitution and applicable Federal laws.

Legal Requirements or Pledges
Electors in these States are bound by State Law or by pledges to cast their vote for a specific candidate:

ALABAMA – Party Pledge / State Law – § 17-19-2
ALASKA – Party Pledge / State Law – § 15.30.040; 15.30.070
CALIFORNIA – State Law – § 6906
COLORADO – State Law – § 1-4-304
CONNECTICUT – State Law – § 9-175
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA – DC Pledge / DC Law – § 1-1312(g)
FLORIDA – Party Pledge / State Law – § 103.021(1)
HAWAII – State Law – §§ 14-26 to 14-28
MAINE – State Law – § 805
MARYLAND – State Law – § 20-4
MASSACHUSETTS – Party Pledge / State Law – Ch. 53, § 8, Supp.
MICHIGAN – State Law – §168.47 (Violation cancels vote and Elector is replaced.)
MISSISSIPPI – Party Pledge / State Law – §23-15-785(3)
MONTANA – State Law – § 13-25-104
NEBRASKA – State Law – § 32-714
NEVADA – State Law – § 298.050
NEW MEXICO – State Law – § 1-15-5 to 1-15-9 (Violation is a fourth degree felony.)
NORTH CAROLINA – State Law – § 163-212 (Violation cancels vote; elector is replaced and is subject to $500 fine.)
OHIO – State Law – § 3505.40
OKLAHOMA – State Pledge / State Law – 26, §§ 10-102; 10-109 (Violation of oath is a misdemeanor, carrying a fine of up to $1000.)
OREGON – State Pledge / State Law – § 248.355
SOUTH CAROLINA – State Pledge / State Law – § 7-19-80 (Replacement and criminal sanctions for violation.)
VERMONT – State Law – title 17, § 2732
* VIRGINIA – State Law – § 24.1-162 (Virginia statute may be advisory – “Shall be expected” to vote for nominees.)
WASHINGTON – Party Pledge / State Law – §§ 29.71.020, 29.71.040, Supp. ($1000 fine.)
WISCONSIN – State Law – § 7.75
WYOMING – State Law – §§ 22-19-106; 22-19-108

No Legal Requirement
Electors in these States are not bound by State Law to cast their vote for a specific candidate:

ARIZONA
ARKANSAS
DELAWARE
GEORGIA
IDAHO
ILLINOIS
INDIANA
IOWA
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
LOUISIANA
MINNESOTA

MISSOURI
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW YORK
NORTH DAKOTA
PENNSYLVANIA
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
UTAH
WEST VIRGINIA

Why cant we go back to the tried and true system where money cant buy a vote and politicians were clean and meant what they said, not just a bunch of smoke and mirrors?? May the best person win, instead of the corruptest and richest??

The Electoral system tends to have a moderating effect on Presidential candidates. Popular vote leads to mob rule

PFC Aaron Knapp
I have been saying this same thing for years, disestablish the Electoral College and make it a truly popular vote.

However, if it were a popular vote I don't think much would change, until people change. People as a whole need to learn to think for themselves and stop voting a certain way because that's how the media says they should vote.

A few examples I can think of:

people who vote straight party tickets. Nothing pisses me off more than a person who will refuse to vote for a candidate because they're from a different political party, or will vote for a person only because of their political party. My parents voted for Obama only because he's a Democrat, even though he goes against everything they believed in.

People who vote for somebody bases solely on the color of their skin or won't vote for a person because of the color of their skin. Again I have to use Obama as an example of this. My Mother in Law voted for Obama strictly because of the color of his skin (she is black herself). I also knew a few people who "weren't going to vote for some black guy..."

People who vote for whoever their party shoves at them. Think about Hillary Clinton's commanding lead in the Democrat race or Donald Trump's own Republican race lead.

I also do not like the idea that a candidate will generally not worry about the states that only get 3 or 4 electoral votes. "Why should I campaign in Alaska? They only get 3 votes!"

But I do agree that

I think you would get more voters to turn out if they felt their vote MATTERED. Because of the additional layer of the Electoral Collage, the vote does not really matter in the same way. I also believe that Voter ID should be a requirement to help prevent voting fraud.

The United States is a Constitutional Republic. The reason we are not a True democracy is so that no one group can have complete and total control over all other groups. Hence why we have the Electoral College. Each state is awarded so many votes based on their population. And each Electorate in the states cover certain cities, counties or regions of the state. Higher Populated states are going to have more electoral votes than a lower populated state. If a candidate wins the majority of the electoral votes in the state they win the state. Your vote does count. Our system is more impartial than a true democracy. Under a true democracy minorities would be at the mercy of the majority. When broken down into regions you add a bit more diversity to the votes and how each district will vote. It sucks when it does not work in our favor and its great when it does. The reality is this method keeps the country honest.

By you not voting and encouraging other not to vote you take away your power to influence what goes on in the country.

Take this into account 11.6 million people lived in Ohio in 2014, and Ohio has 18 Electoral votes. Now consider this, President Obama won Ohio with just under 2.7 million votes while Mitt Romney had just under 2.6 million votes. Now consider that that not all eligible adults voted there were about 1 million eligible voters who did not vote. That would mean that Ohio which was a close race to began with could have still went to either candidate.

The point I am trying to make is your vote does count. It is what allows our system to work the way it does allowing different parties to get elected with the changing of the times.

(I use Ohio as an example because it is my home state.)

This is a good discussion.

My own opinion has to side with Hamilton, why? Nationally about 10% (average, higher in some places) are high school dropouts, 30% of those that do (or don't) graduate high school drop out of college within their first year.

Let's just say that that 30% actually graduated HS, (but who are we kidding, anyone can get into college these days with enough $$) that would mean 40% of the population is uneducated as far as documentation.

Now, you may say "I don't need a stinking diploma or cert to know what's going on!" And you may be right, you may be educated and understand the inner workings of politics, but you have no real proof- in the military, everything important is documented, in law, everything follows precedence (aka- documentation). Everything we are in the big scheme of things comes down to documenting what we have accomplished. If someone is street savvy enough to know what is wrong in the world then what do they have to show for their efforts?

Now, back to my original arguement, how many of those that actually finish their degree have the meat and potatoes to back it up? Well there are no exact numbers, but only 22% of students from for-profit schools actually graduate, and over 70% of those graduates are treated the same as or worse than high school dropouts, sorry if you are a Pheonix or whatever, but your resume will wind up in the shredder once an employer sees that crap degree you have.

Of course as touched on earlier, the military counts as education. But to what extent? Yes, you are educated, but in what field? Did the Army teach you about politics? Maybe. Did it teach you what a Fillibuster is? Probably not, so it's still limited, but valuable information that can at the very least develop you critical thinking skills.

So, back to your theory that everyone's voice should be equally heard- no, they shouldn't- some people are stupid, and that's fine, let them be stupid; if you don't think people are stupid, then you need a Facebook profile- people grieved over Cecil the friggin lion more than the four Marines and the Sailor killed in Chattanooga. Do you really want their voices heard equally with yours?

If people had their way, Brad Pitt would be president as a write-in, with a turd sandwich as his VP, because a bunch of idiots thought it would be funny.

If you don't believe me, fine- Socrates, in the middle of Greece during the birth of Democracy and the father of modern philosophy can explain it better, when he explained, and I am paraphrasing of course, that Democracy as you would have it doesn't work because people fall into trends and tend to vote on what's popular rather than prudent (example: prohibition, the stupidest trend that lasted for 13 years as a friggin amendment to the constitution because too many stupid people had a voice), his reasoning? Lack of an educated public. Wow. Imagine that, I should have been a philosopher rather than a historian. He also stated that those trends would encourage the emergence of a demagogue (someone with self interests that rises to power and screws over the public for self gain, I'll let your imaginations wander for examples on that one).

Herodotus, the father of history, agreed with him "a multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one King." And this was what the brightest minds in the most enlightened era came up with.

In conclusion, people as a whole are too stupid and Ill-informed to make such an important decision. It may disgust you, but the fact that the illiterate moron has the same voice as that of a doctor of political science disgusts me more-so. I can't even trust the dependa in front of me at the PX wearing way too much perfume to make up her mind on which shooters she's going to buy, let alone vote. If you actually made it to the end, thanks for reading, and I hope I didn't piss too many people off.