The babble of a middle-aged lunatic.
What is the value of your vote?
Published on October 23, 2006 By Xythe In Politics
I remember as a grown boy how thrilling it was casting my first vote for the president of the United States of America. My understanding at the time was pretty limited, (though it seemed the more I know concerning politics in general, the more convoluted it seems to become, thus it feels that I understand less…. paradoxical), but I remember all the older adults talking about how good Regan was for the American Family. World finance wasn’t another of my strong points, but I have to admit, Christmases had been bigger, and my family was taking longer and more vacations; it made sense to me. So in 1984 I was off to cast my very first vote for Ronald Regan. Honestly it was a bit exciting. I felt like this was the first important “thing” I was doing as a young adult – voting for “The President of the United States of America”! It felt even better when Reagan remained president for another year…. Hey, my vote really counts!



By 1988 I had moved to California, had been married several years, and had been working as an apprentice painter. Money was good, and hey, I was making it in the Golden State! I knew little more about politics and finance than I had 4 years prior, but things were going well and I was hardly starving. I know the republican I voted for 4 years prior reinforced my prosperity, but Michael Dukakis had been the governor of my birth state since I could remember. I remember learning in school that Michael Dukakis was elected over an incumbent republican in a time of financial disparity. I figured Dukakis must be a financial/political wizard to make the commonwealth so healthy during his reign. This and my affinity for the lifestyle I was living helped me cast my losing vote for Dukakis.



Since then I have graduated from college, and have become a professional painter. As I gain experience and the closer I look at politics and world finance, the more complex it seems. In fact, at this point, little of it makes much sense to me other than individuals and groups striving for money and power (quite human). Much of it feels to me to as it has little to do with society or citizenship. Today, this is my opinion of what my vote for the president is actually worth:



The US government really wants me to think my vote counts, but in all actuality, my vote is never “really” counted. Rather it’s lumped in with the electoral process, a process that is fundamentally flawed in that it is possible for a candidate with fewer actual votes to win an election.



As an example: Candidate Murphy receives 51% and candidate Williams receives 49% of the popular vote in a state, and the state has 12 electoral votes, then candidate Murphy wins all 12 of the electoral votes of that state. The flaw is in that the Electoral College is disproportionately represented by smaller states that may result in election of the candidate who has received fewer votes.



But I jump the gun. First off, I don’t really think I get to choose whom I vote for to start with; world finance, special interest groups, and elite politicians have done that for me via the electoral process by means of various caucuses/primaries. This is where the Big Dogs hang out at very expensive gatherings to pick who I get to vote for; isn’t that nice of them?



So what this amounts to is first Big Business, special interest groups and elite politicians choose whom I can vote for (for the most part), then I cast my vote that may or may not reflect my actual choice by the time it goes through the electoral process. Really, it’s looks to me as my vote technically does not count.



So Big Money, elite politicians and special interest groups chose for whom I get to vote for in the presidential election. Then I cast my personal vote, which gets lumped into a potentially flawed electoral system. Hhmmm. What is the face value of my vote?



So what this makes me feel is that my citizenry voice, my vote, is really negligible and comes out as a very weak whisper. I suppose I should be thankful that I have a whisper, as some other countries don’t offer even that to their subjects. So even though my puny whisper is hardly negligible, it’s pretty much the loudest message I have when it comes to the presidential election.



How big do you feel your voice is when it comes to casting your vote for the US President?


Comments
on Oct 23, 2006
I know that my voice, when compared with the other millions that vote for president, is a mouse squeak in the thunderdome.

But it's still my chance to participate in the process, you know? And no matter how little my say is, I still think it's important to have that say that's been given to me. If I don't, I guess I can't complain, you know?
on Oct 23, 2006
And no matter how little my say is, I still think it's important to have that say that's been given to me. If I don't, I guess I can't complain, you know?


Thats how I feel as well. So I guess I feel like my tiny squeak at least gives me the right to make a "valid" gripe?
on Oct 23, 2006
What you need to do then is become a delegate. You do that by, first getting involved in your local political scene (after all, contrary to popular belief, local politics plays a much bigger role in our lives than national politics). By getting involved, even a small fish can become a bigger fish. For anyone who says that only bigwigs or rich folk get to be delegates, my brother has been a delegate a few times, and he's never made over $50k in his life.

So, yeah, when we cast a vote for president, it isn't our vote that directly chooses the president, but then again the president doesn't directly represent us either. He represents both We, the People and the "several states", so why should it be just We the People who chose who the president will be?

The direct representative of We the People at the federal level is the House of Representatives... and we do directly elect them... sadly though, we have allowed our representatives to care more about the letter after their name than the people of their district. How do we work to change that? By becoming delegates... and how do we do that??? ;~D
on Oct 23, 2006
Thats how I feel as well. So I guess I feel like my tiny squeak at least gives me the right to make a "valid" gripe?{/quote]

Right. Because if you don't excercise your rights, pretty soon they're not "rights" and they get taken away.

One thing I think is cool is like the "pop culture" voting movement...you know...ads on MTV and such. Lots of younger people really look up to celebrities (ugh) and hopefully if the rapper WHoFLUNgDUNg says "Yo, homie, go out and VOTE, foo!" someone will do it.
on Oct 23, 2006
So, yeah, when we cast a vote for president, it isn't our vote that directly chooses the president, but then again the president doesn't directly represent us either. He represents both We, the People and the "several states", so why should it be just We the People who chose who the president will be?


Very interesting point Ted, I had not considered this
What you need to do then is become a delegate.


Yep, you have to delegate a good portion of your life to do this, though it is an option.

The direct representative of We the People at the federal level is the House of Representatives... and we do directly elect them... sadly though, we have allowed our representatives to care more about the letter after their name than the people of their district.


Indeed, this is where your vote has the most "bang for its dollar".

How do we work to change that? By becoming delegates... and how do we do that??? ;~D


I don't think we can; the machine is out of control

on Oct 23, 2006
Right. Because if you don't excercise your rights, pretty soon they're not "rights" and they get taken away.


I really can't see this happening anytime to soon with respect to voting rights for the president.
on Oct 23, 2006
Xythe...

I feel like a moron because I don't know stuff. I never remember learning about that stuff in school.
on Oct 24, 2006
I feel like a moron because I don't know stuff.


Dont feel bad Wyo, because I feel like a moron as well. I learned a little bit about politics in school; not much, but the basic mechanics that all college students must learn as a componant of their bredth requirements for graduation. Most of what I know, for which must surely seem pitiful to many of the bloggers here at JU, I gained as experience in my 40 some odd years of life in America.

In my 20's and 30's, I paid attention to politics and world finance. I had "intillectual" conversations with people, read the news paper, watched the news, and formulated well thought out opinions of it all.

Here in my 40's, I seem to have come to the realization that there is no point in the average person even caring about such matters, or at least in my case.

Here we are nearing election time, and what do you hear in the news, and what do you hear people debate? When was the last time you heard any politition or any blogger talk about the serious domestic issues currently being experienced here in the US?

Eh, accusing Foley of being a pedophile when many people dont even know what how a pedophile is classified is a heated topic...blah. You would have seen many bloggers blab about such drivel, but hardly a comment on an article that addressed the profile of a pedophile. Well, I will admit, they moved on to some other sensational enlightenment since that particular post.

Anyway, I digress. Basically, I feel very confused as to the function of politics these days. From most of what I have experienced in life, I have concluded that polititions and financial experts are similar to the "Highlander". It seems as the ultimate goal is to have all the money and power one person can possibly attain world-wide...at any cost; There can be only one. They work in groups, simply to gain advantages over one another until the oppertunity to make a critical backstab poses itself, and it's often made in stealth. Sooner or later, these groups will have been long destroyed by corruption, and they will be fighting each other tooth and nail, lopping heads, until the last person sits there holding ALL the marbles. Most of us will be crushed out by their machine driven by the lust of greed and power by then. What an accomplishment it will be for that last lonely financial expert/politition standing at the top of her/his empty, defeted world. Thus the euphemism, "I'ts lonely at the top".

Talk about a digression! Sorry about that. I guess thats a consequence of blogging when you half stoned and in the bag.
on Oct 24, 2006
The flaw is in that the Electoral College is disproportionately represented by smaller states that may result in election of the candidate who has received fewer votes.


That is actually not a flaw, but a calculated and intended purpose. It was created that way in order to get the smaller states to sign on to the new union. They were deathly afraid that New York and Virginia would dominate the new Union (History shows us that Virginia still did dominate it, along with Massachussetes tho).

It is maintained today, and will be maintained for the same reason. If the president was elected by a popular vote, how many times would West Virginia see a Presidential candidate? There are a lot more small states than there are big states, and they will prevent it from changing.

While, you, Xythe, may think your vote does not count, I dare say the people of Florida know how each vote is important. 538 votes out of over 100m made the difference in 2000. It can happen again. 2000 was not the first, nor will it be the last, time that the candidate getting the most votes does not win.
on Oct 24, 2006
That is actually not a flaw, but a calculated and intended purpose. It was created that way in order to get the smaller states to sign on to the new union. They were deathly afraid that New York and Virginia would dominate the new Union (History shows us that Virginia still did dominate it, along with Massachussetes tho).


Thanks Doc, a nice peice of history I was unaware of.

While, you, Xythe, may think your vote does not count, I dare say the people of Florida know how each vote is important. 538 votes out of over 100m made the difference in 2000. It can happen again. 2000 was not the first, nor will it be the last, time that the candidate getting the most votes does not win.


Its not so much that I feel my vote does not count, I know it does just as grains of sand make a desert. Its more like voting for the lessor of two evils. It seems as many people are disturbed about our political system, but can voting really change anything? For instance: The state of CA voted to legalize marijuana, but yet the feds say no.

Was it meant to be this confusing?