Electoral College

[Roland]

As an opening to this post, I'd like to say that I am going to vote for Bush in the upcoming elections.  I'm not saying this to spark debate over which candidate is the better choice, etc., since by now I assume the majority of the US Lurkers have made up their minds on the issue.  I put the spotlight on this because when I vote, I'll know fully that my vote will not aid Bush at all.

That's right, chances are that my vote will not matter at all.

Living in Illinois, it's almost a given that the state will go Democratic.  The Chicagoland area especially has a history of voting Democratic and I doubt this year will be any exception.  Hence, my vote will do absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of the election.  It could contribute to the chances of the candidate of my choice, but chances are it will not.

Now, I'll be voting nonetheless, but I'd to post this question for discussion:  what would be a good replacement to our current system of the Electoral College?  I feel there are aspects of it which are quite antiquated, and dislike the way it forces the system to remain bipartisan (with an Independant candidate thrown in for good measure, even if he has no chance of success), but it does ensure that the winning candidate will have a majority vote (electoral votes, I know).  To completely abolish it could result in a system where 5 candidates run for office and the one with 25% of the nation behind him comes out victorious; obviously not what we'd wish to accomplish.

I've seen lots of discussion on the Electoral College, but have yet to hear a method (nor come up with one myself) that does a better job.  Any thoughts?

Additional Trivia Info:  The Electors for each state are not forced to vote in agreement with that state's voting.  If I were an Elector for Illinois, I could feasibly cast the state's vote for Candidate A, even though 100% of the state voted for Candidate B.  In some states this is not against the law at all.  In others it is a misdemeanor.  Still others heighten the crime to a felony.  And finally, in some states it is dubbed illegal, but there is absolutely no penalty.
[right][snapback]58752[/snapback][/right]

Right idea, wrong approach.

The way I see it is very simple - the people don't elect the presiden; we elect the people who elect the president. It really is quite that simple. We the people decide who gets voted into the House and the Senate. By voting for people who we feel best support our goals and wishes, we thereby attempt to secure our "vote" for presidency. If your views swing more towards the Republican side (like my own), you vote for Republican House and Senate representatives. They, in turn, should vote accordingly for a Republican president, and thus your wishes are inevitably granted, more or less.

The only major problem with this system is not how the VOTES are tallied, but how the DEMOGRAPHIC is tallied - i.e. the political parties. And that, my friend, is a MUCH bigger, more complex issue to tackle, and not one I have any thoughts on how to change whatsoever. Being boxed into "Category A, B, or C" has its advantages and limitations, and it is exactly those limitations, among a few others that spring up further down the road, that I believe you (and many others who raise this issue) have a problem with. Said other issues being if a Republican presidential candidate, for example, is NOT someone you want in office, despite being a Republican supporter. That can complicate things, of course, but that is the nature of the beast. You cannot have everyone running for President.

I, too, am in the same boat Z. I live in Mass., a HIGHLY liberal / Democratic state (and the one which John Kerry has come from to run for President, no less - I spit on that fact). My vote, along with my father's, probably won't amount to jack in the sea of Democratic support that will likely fill this election. However, I can take at least some comfort in knowing that, despite how the populace of my state feels, the Congressmen my state has elected will make the ultimate decision on who becomes President. But, again, here is that same issue - voting for Repubican Senate / House Representatives in a primarily Democratic state. It's a tricky business, full of lots of catch-22's and loops. But it IS manageable. Not perfect, but manageable. And I, for one, feel that the system has lasted us this long, and thus is not in any dire need of major change.

Besides, given the way this country is, do you really think any major changes, no matter how needed, will come about swiftly enough to matter? Particulaly for this upcoming election?