My Vote Doesn't Count!

[TomLovesBecky]

My husband and I were talking politics last night and he reminded me that it doesn't even matter who we vote for, this state ALWAYS goes Democrat, period, and Barack Obama is going to get the delegates. He is right, too...our state has never gone Republican in a modern election. Therefore, he says our votes don't count anyway. Which is good, because now I can vote for Ron Paul and not feel like my "wasted" vote is going to help elect Obama (which I do not care to do). Then again, it might be nice to live in a swing state where my vote really mattered. Anyone have insight about this phenomenon?

 

[LaraK]

My husband and I were talking politics last night and he reminded me that it doesn't even matter who we vote for, this state ALWAYS goes Democrat, period, and Barack Obama is going to get the delegates. He is right, too...our state has never gone Republican in a modern election. Therefore, he says our votes don't count anyway. Which is good, because now I can vote for Ron Paul and not feel like my "wasted" vote is going to help elect Obama (which I do not care to do). Then again, it might be nice to live in a swing state where my vote really mattered. Anyone have insight about this phenomenon?

HEY! You another Marlander?

I think Regan was the last Presidential candidate to win here.

 

[Laura]

Then again, it might be nice to live in a swing state where my vote really mattered.

It is very nice. Except for the onslaught of commercials.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Sounds like my state of Minnesota.

The last Rep to win here in a Presidential election was Richard Nixon!!

Although we are being called a battleground state this time around

Personally I would love to see the trend in MN break this election

 

[wardfamily1]

To the OP, unless you are in MN, your vote does count

Personally, I hope the 2008 electoral map looks like this too.

 

[loco4dis]

I live in a very liberal town. Democrats to the left of me, lefties to the right. I'll admit it. I don't even vote in city elections anymore. There's no point. It's kind of funny, too, because after local elections when the paper runs stories about this or that winner and his/her "celebration" at some local pub, there's like 5 people there. Everyone's like, "Yawn, the democrat won. Let's go home. 'Grey's Anatomy' is on."

(I have considered running for some little local seat somewhere — as a democrat — and then, after winning, pulling the switcheroo and watching all their heads explode. It's very tempting… )

 

[of the seas]

My vote won't count either as I am from IL and so is Obama. There is no way he won't win his state. And IL always go Dem, too...Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[alldiz]

New yorker here.....I guess my vote helps my state stay blue....but I might as well stay home....election won't be decided here in NY.
Kerri

 

[JimFitz]

Every vote counts. What if everyone else in your state thought the way you did? Get out and vote!

 

[mumom95]

I'm from Ohio, which is nice because everybody wants our vote. Like someone else said though, the commercials the last couple of weeks can drive you crazy.

 

[Suzie Zoo]

Your vote counts. And just because it's pretty likely that your state will vote for Obama, what if all the Obama voters thought the same thing?

And that's coming from a Republican living in New York state. Although I'm pretty sure Hillary is going to win here

 

[JimmyPicker]

HEY! You another Marlander?

I think Regan was the last Presidential candidate to win here.

Marylander here!

I'm going to write in Lara for president!

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I feel the same way here in Jersey

 

[MrsPete]

You're absolutely right. If you are in the minority opinion within your state, your vote is essentially thrown away.

We need major reform in the way we vote -- I mean the logistics or methodology of how we physically cast our votes. I'm not convinced that everything's done fairly.

In my small town, I just walk up, give my name, it's marked off a list, and I go into the curtained cubicle. No one even looks at my ID. Anyone see room for problems there?
My sister-in-law worked with the last election -- meaning she physically went to people's houses to talk to them about her candidate -- and she said that MANY times she found voters registered to addresses that didn't exist.
Did you know that absentee ballots are not even counted UNLESS the vote is really close? I forget the percentage, but if the vote isn't close, they aren't required to bother with those ballots! I don't think that's acceptable.

I understand why "back in the day" the founding fathers began the your-state's-worth-X-number-of-votes system, but today our technology is so much better. I don't understand why we can't have a simple popular vote -- that assures that every single person's vote goes the way he or she intends.

 

[disney4us2002]

Well, I will vote regardless. Perhaps it's because I live in a Dem heavy state but Rep majority county that I never feel I'm outnumbered by the Dems. Hey, we managed to vote in a R governor in '02. Too bad he was prematurely voted out in '06. He was doing good things for the state and we were finally out of the red but because of GWB's unpopularity, I feel Erlich was punished at the polls. That is one legitimate thing I will blame on Bush, lol. Oh, we are now back in the red and many state jobs are on a hiring freeze. Go figure.

 

[RadioNate]

I felt the same way living TX.

This is why the electoral college need to be reformed. We have the technology to count popular vote. At least follow Maine and Nebraska or even better yet a proportional vote of the electorate. Of course when we have people losing the popular vote yet winning the electorate it'll never change because it could cost the 'winning' the election.

 

[wardfamily1]

To the OP, unless you are in MN, your vote does count

Personally, I hope the 2008 electoral map looks like this too.

Just quoting myself from earlier to prove even that even MN can change. As of right now even MN is a battleground state:

http://www.startribune.com/politics...3589.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

 

[LaraK]

Erlich did get a raw deal...says something about the cult mentality of the two party system. The man had an approval rating over 50% and lost to Martin OweMalley...now we have higher taxes, a bigger deficit and poorly run government...and I'm a Democrat! (of course, I'm mostly a Dem because all state business seems to be decided in the primaries around here).

Maryland will go to Obama by a big number, but I'll still vote. I've never missed an election, general or primary.

 

[alldiz]

You're absolutely right. If you are in the minority opinion within your state, your vote is essentially thrown away.

We need major reform in the way we vote -- I mean the logistics or methodology of how we physically cast our votes. I'm not convinced that everything's done fairly.

In my small town, I just walk up, give my name, it's marked off a list, and I go into the curtained cubicle. No one even looks at my ID. Anyone see room for problems there?
My sister-in-law worked with the last election -- meaning she physically went to people's houses to talk to them about her candidate -- and she said that MANY times she found voters registered to addresses that didn't exist.
Did you know that absentee ballots are not even counted UNLESS the vote is really close? I forget the percentage, but if the vote isn't close, they aren't required to bother with those ballots! I don't think that's acceptable.

I understand why "back in the day" the founding fathers began the your-state's-worth-X-number-of-votes system, but today our technology is so much better. I don't understand why we can't have a simple popular vote -- that assures that every single person's vote goes the way he or she intends.

It is mind boggling.....we are voting in a NATIONAL election. Everyone should be voting the same way.....and why don't we have picture ID voting cards again?
Kerri

 

[loco4dis]

You're absolutely right. If you are in the minority opinion within your state, your vote is essentially thrown away.

We need major reform in the way we vote -- I mean the logistics or methodology of how we physically cast our votes. I'm not convinced that everything's done fairly.

In my small town, I just walk up, give my name, it's marked off a list, and I go into the curtained cubicle. No one even looks at my ID. Anyone see room for problems there?
My sister-in-law worked with the last election -- meaning she physically went to people's houses to talk to them about her candidate -- and she said that MANY times she found voters registered to addresses that didn't exist.
Did you know that absentee ballots are not even counted UNLESS the vote is really close? I forget the percentage, but if the vote isn't close, they aren't required to bother with those ballots! I don't think that's acceptable.

I understand why "back in the day" the founding fathers began the your-state's-worth-X-number-of-votes system, but today our technology is so much better. I don't understand why we can't have a simple popular vote -- that assures that every single person's vote goes the way he or she intends.

Because we are a united federation of largely independent states, and a popular vote election would mean that California and New York/New Jersey — with their large populations — would determine the outcome of every single election. No one would campaign anywhere else. No one would draft legislation or policy that helped any other states. The other states would simply cease to exist in the minds of politicians. There would be the East Coast, the West Coast, and nothing else. This would lead to a regionally balkanized political landscape in which the unrepresented people in "flyover country" would eventually revolt. The popular vote argument is a recipe for civil war. Our entire governmental structure is purposefully intended to prevent certain regions of the country from becoming all-powerful because the framers of the Constitution, in their astonishing brilliance and foresight, knew that if that happened, the country would disintegrate.

And check your state's laws about voter ID. Those poll workers who aren't asking you for ID may be violating the law, and they should be called out on it.

And lastly, absentee and provisional ballots ARE COUNTED in every single state. It is a federal law and is required of all states in their federal election audit. However, if an election is not close — meaning that if ALL of the absentee and provisional ballots went for one candidate or the other and it still wouldn't change the outcome of the electronic balloting — they aren't included when a state or precinct announces the winner. It takes up to 2 weeks to count such ballots, and the announcement of a winner is typically required much sooner than that, except in extraordinarily close contests.