Who received only 39.8% of the popular vote in the 1860 Presidential election?
Correct answer: Abraham Lincoln
Player #Ruby's Mom
Player LolaB, If we removed our electoral system then only the same few states would determine the outcome; such as California, NY, NJ, Connecticut, etc. Now that would misrepresentation!
Player #1633488
Player #2745661, The election process is best kept to the system as written by the founding fathers. If we had a straight vote the election would represent only a few large or populous states and the remainder of the US would not be represented. We would have total chaos or dictatorship.
Birdiemom
Montana Lady, it is a REPUBLIC, like it says in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Birdiemom
Player #2745661, yes...including the farmers who supply the food that many city dwellers think just appears by magic in the grocery store.
Birdiemom
Montana Lady, the founding fathers knew better than to aim for a democracy.
Montana Lady
nimblemoon, because the US is not a true democracy.
RockNRollMama82
Player #1633488, it would be MOB RULE. Only large cities would be represented and rural areas would have no say. The Founders knew this and knew that Tyranny in ANY form, needed to be avoided.
The USA has NEVER BEEN a DEMOCRACY and NEVER WILL BE.
It is a REPUBLIC.
RockNRollMama82
Martian, No, our Founders didn't want Tyranny by the Majority, which is why the Electoral College exists.
Okie Razorback
SingingSnake4352, The votes of smaller and less populated states would have no significance on election days.
Brandy420
Montana Lady, you're right, it's a Constitutional Republic
Metz
Birdiemom, right!!
Player #39532510
Ruby's Mom, with the electorial vote system a candidate only needs to win 11 states for 50.2% of the votes, roughly 27% of our population, to win the presidential election. There have been past candidates who won the popular vote only to lose because of electorial votes. Not a fair process of election in my humble opinion.
Ducky
Player #Ruby's Mom, Exactly!
IceChimp
Montana Lady, nor should it ever be!
Dajoe
Player #1633488, So Montana with 600,000 people has as much influence in the Senate as California, with over 40 million. And an Electoral College system that supports this.
Noiyce. :(
Van
If you get rid of the electoral college, you would need to dismantle the United States. Smaller states only agreed to join the Union because of the compromise that resulted in the electoral college. You can’t change those rules. At least, not without a three fourths vote of all states. That is extremely unlikely to ever happen.
Player #33345963
Uninitialized, He was voted in
Player #7598318
Montana Lady, wasnt meant to be but was meant to be a republic. democracy is never not once mentioned in constitution
RockNRollMama82
Uninitialized, Electoral Votes. When you vote for president, you're actually voting for the Electoral Delegates.
RockNRollMama82
and here I thought the election was just between Lincoln and Douglas
Uninitialized
then how did he get to be president?
Player #5100533
nimblemoon, Really? Are you Daft? At least 5 or 6 people have explained why we MUST have an Electoral College. I do not want to be Governed by CA.& NY. with their FAILED progressive agenda....
BrinyQuarterback2415
Montana Lady,
The US has been operating as an Oligarchy for 30+ years
BrinyQuarterback2415
Great Story only partially true. The real reason the south seceded involved the over burden of taxes perpetrated by the north. The slaves have been on the Freedom train for a number of years. Even plantation owners were awarding them land to start their own farms. Slavery was chosen as a cause to unite people. Very difficult to unite people over taxes.
The tea party was fought over a 3% tax - hummm much different today eh.
Player #5099592
CubicAftermath, my team won. ok
Player #5099592
freegal1776, different meaning.
Player #5099592
freegal1776. be careful we all could wake up in another country one day . All it will is some natural disaster.
Cool Cat Lady
CubicAftermath, No. Douglass only received 29.5% of popular vote while Lincoln received 39.8%.
freegal1776
elizabeth bennett, Yep, and Voter ID helps to keep it fair. The progressives need to stop their false bellyaching about africanamericans' votes being suppressed because they cant get govt-issued ID. its BS and they all know it!
freegal1776
This fact needs to be brought up any time the liberals moan on about the popular vote.
RushMama2112
IMO, the proportional method would work best. Each state allots EC delegates by the percentage of votes candidates receive. For example; a state has 10 delegates. Candidate A gets 60%of the votes and candidate B gets 40%. Candidate A gets 6 delegates and candidate B gets 4. This way we keep the EC but apportion the delegates more fairly.