...and yet candidates don't usually waste any time or effort campaigning in California or North Dakota because they aren't one of about a dozen persuadable swin

...and yet candidates don't usually waste any time or effort campaigning in California or North Dakota because they aren't one of about a dozen persuadable swing states. In one sense the electoral votes per person ratio is a sensible way to measure political clout, but if a state is outright ignored and isn't taking part in the political conversation then that clout isn't translating into meaningful influence.