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Electoral votes

newmexicobound

Well-known member
I need some help here. I am a political dummy, but I have a 24 year old neice who is voting for the first time. She came over this morning with some questions that I am having trouble answering for her and thought maybe one of you could explain it to her.
She wanted to know why she should vote if electoral votes will decide this election anyway? I explained that there are still state and local issues that need to be voted on. She still said "Then my vote for president and VP doesn't count at all". I had her go online and do some research and she still say's the same thing!
I guess I'm not the person to try to explain this so if any of you have an easy way to explain it Please feel free! I am afraid she will just decide to NOT VOTE because I can't explain it.
Thanks for any help you may be able to give us!
Have a great day!
 

fff

Well-known member
newmexicobound said:
I need some help here. I am a political dummy, but I have a 24 year old neice who is voting for the first time. She came over this morning with some questions that I am having trouble answering for her and thought maybe one of you could explain it to her.
She wanted to know why she should vote if electoral votes will decide this election anyway? I explained that there are still state and local issues that need to be voted on. She still said "Then my vote for president and VP doesn't count at all". I had her go online and do some research and she still say's the same thing!
I guess I'm not the person to try to explain this so if any of you have an easy way to explain it Please feel free! I am afraid she will just decide to NOT VOTE because I can't explain it.
Thanks for any help you may be able to give us!
Have a great day!

The simple answer is: each state has a certain number of electorial votes based on the number of Senators & Representatives from their state. Most states award all their EVs to the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote in that state. Maine and, I think, Nebraska split their EVs, but most others are winner take all. Whoever wins the most EVs is the winner in the presidential election. If she's voting in CA for McCain, her vote will probably not make much of a ripple because it's pretty likely that Obama will take CA. But if she's voting in OH where it's very close, her vote might make the difference in the election. I think NM is still a tossup? And, as you say, there are the other candidates on the ballot.

Try this link for more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Electoral_College
 

TexasBred

Well-known member
In theory McCain could win each of the states he probably will win by a margin of half million votes per state but loose the blue states by 1 vote in each state and still lose the election and vice versa...as FFF said your vote really doesn't matter that much except in close states. But don't let that stop you from voting regardless of how you plan to vote. Consider it a responsibility to vote at every election.
 

RobertMac

Well-known member
Her vote for President will determine which candidate gets her state's electoral votes...so her vote counts very much. The difference is that the total country-wide 'individual vote' total isn't used to determine the winner on a national basis. The state-wide 'individual vote' total is used to determine who wins that state's electoral votes. Winning big in a few states and losing close in others is how a candidate can have more total popular votes, but still lose the election based on electoral votes...the ones that count.

Hope this helps...but tell her she should only vote once. Don't be an ACORN!!!!
 

newmexicobound

Well-known member
Thank you all so much! I am going to have her read what you all have said and maybe it will help.
She is voting for McCain here in CA. That is what she doesn't understand. She's hearing the electoral vote count now and is having trouble figuring out why they know the count when Nov 4th is still 2 weeks away!
We will all be voting for McCain. Obama is just too scarey and uncertain for us!
Thank You again for the help!
Have a great day!
 

RobertMac

Well-known member
Tell her the only poll that counts is the one Nov. 4th. The mainstream media, which is aligned with Democrats, use these biased poll results to try to discourage her from voting. Polls were very similar to these in 2000 and 2004...who was elected? Tell her that her vote always counts and voting is the most important thing she does!
 
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