The American Electoral College

[Gaybutton]

As most of you probably know, for preidential elections, and only presidential elections, in the USA the president is elected through the electoral college system rather than through popular vote. It is entirely possible for a person to be elected president despite the fact the opposing candidate actually received more votes. That is how Abraham Lincoln became president.

For those of you who do not understand the electoral college system, why it exists, and why the USA sticks with that system instead of popular vote, click the link to see a very good explanatory video: http://us.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/vid ... ollege.cnn

[Jomtienbob]

More recently, that was how George Bush won his first term.

He lost the popular vote nationwide, the Florida Secretary of State, a Republican, called a stop to the recount and called the state for W by 537 votes (or some such low number)The US Supreme Court let that decision stand by a 5-4 vote, which they stated should never be considered as precedent for any future such decisions (I believe that is the only time they made that type of condition for a decision).

One might say that W won by one vote.

[Alex]

It is entirely possible for a person to be elected president despite the fact the opposing candidate actually received more votes. That is how Abraham Lincoln became president.

No, actually it were the opposing candidates who received more votes than Lincoln combined. That's a big difference! No single other candidate received more votes than Lincoln, who got about 40% of the popular vote. Bush vs Gore, on the other hand, was a different story, Gore received about half a million votes more than Bush nationwide.

[Gaybutton]

No, actually it were the opposing candidates who received more votes than Lincoln combined.

Ok, then I stand corrected. I guess I must have been absent the day they taught history in history class. At my age, there wasn't all that much history to teach in the first place. But I'm still waiting for Geezer to tell us whether Martin van Buren had a hearty handshake . . .

[Jomtienbob]

Let us also not forget that in 1876: Republican Rutherford Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden by 185 to 184 in Electoral College despite a 254,235-popular-vote deficit.

And in 1888: Republican Benjamin Harrison defeated Democrat Grover Cleveland by 233 to 168 in Electoral College despite 90,596-popular-vote deficit.

Until Bush vs. Gore, those were the only cases of the electoral college trumping the majority vote.

[windwalker]

Guess who received all the electoral votes for President?

[lvdkeyes]

Too simple.

[windwalker]

Now that does poison others from replying. If they get it right they are simpletons and if they get it wrong they are simpletons.

[lvdkeyes]

I can't agree with your analogy.

[Gaybutton]

If they get it right they are simpletons and if they get it wrong they are simpletons.

What if they are like me? I don't get it at all . . .