How americans endorse their vote for US Presidential and VC P. elections?

[mabar]

Hi, ...from what I understand in US Presidential and VC Presidential elections is not a popular vote form?, any person can't go and vote for whatever they want ... someone else is elected and do the vote in their name...

It says in wikipedia: “The presidential ballot is actually voting "for the electors of a candidate" meaning that the voter is not actually voting for the candidate, but endorsing a slate of electors pledged to vote for a specific Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate”

Pledged???!!! I'm in shock...

The more I read about US Presidential and VC Presidential elections the more I'm confused...

The political parties can choose their electors???!!!

...my question is how you ...being an american ...go and endorse your vote... it says also that in every state could be different...but maybe there is a unified way form?

Although considering that if it is stolen... here and other countries the result is the same, I was just thinking that I could not possible endorse my vote to anyone, then again being a mexican that is nonsense ...but I was just being curious ...

Thanks

 

[Hildegarda]

Mabar, this is called a "republican form of government" and applies only to presidential elections. The people choose the electors (a certain number for each state, depending on the state population, but not exactly) and the electors vote for the president. The local elections and the elections to Congress\Senate are done the normal democratic way: you vote for your candidate.

The reason why presidential elections are done like this was originally (when the country has formed) to protect the small states. States with small populations are represented by more electors, proportionally, than the big states are. Otherwise, the big states would decide everything.

The presidential vote goes by state. People mark the tickets for the presidential candidate they like best. Then, if say, in the state of Illinois a Democratic candidate wins, then the it's the Democratic party that gets to fill the electors' slots for this state. These electors pledge to vote for their Party's nominee but technically can vote for whoever they want. In practice, however, they are staunch party hacks and vote the party line. It is a supremely rare that an elector change his\her vote. I think there were only two such events ever. And, the only time when it is really important, is when there's a tie -- both parties getting the same number of electoral votes nationwide.

So it was done originally to allow for better representation of minority population groups. It seemed like a good idea for a large country with strong traditions of independent decisions by states.

What happens now is that the Republican party benefits from it. This is why the popular vote last time went to Kerry, but Bush got the electoral vote. The smaller, more backwater states tend to vote republican and their vote is represented disproportionately. Plus, the reps have their voting machine scams that allow them to tweak the voting process just enough to tip the point in whatever the battleground state is.

Psychopaths can hack everything. :(

 

[mabar]

Thanks...sorry for not doing it earlier.