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> For everyone else, their votes never counted. Yes they did. Sure, it was one vote out of three hundred million, but so was every one else's.

by coldpie 10y ago

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
uoaei 10y ago
The above poster is referring to the lopsided representation of voters due to the electoral college and the degree of contestedness of particular states. For instance, I can be comfortable not voting in California because it is so overwhelmingly blue that, in effect, my vote "didn't count". The same is not true of many midwestern states, where the two major parties are in a dead heat.
- coldpie 10y ago
  Only one office uses the electoral college. There are a whole lot more offices than that one. Your point is also obviously nonsense on its face: if no one voted, then the results would be different. So surely some votes must count. Do no votes count unless the result is N vs N+1?
  - wfo 10y ago
    You are correct that other offices matter and do not use the electoral college but the one office that does use it is exactly the one that we are discussing in this thread (recall, it began with "thanks Jill Stein voters"). It's also the case that many other offices are intentionally gerrymandered (US House, state congress) to ensure voters' choices do not matter, whereas the presidency is gerrymandered by happenstance due to a compromise made centuries ago that is no longer relevant. And yes, opposition votes in deep red states or blue states are counted as cute protest votes much in the way votes for "Mickey Mouse" or "George Washington" or "Jill Stein" are. Votes in line with the state past 50% + 1 simply do not effect the final total or outcome of the election at all, they are thrown away, and what's important is that they never could assuming, e.g. California going blue is a foregone conclusion. Democrats have to do the bare minimum and show up to win California, and Republicans with Alabama, but voting for president doesn't really mean much in those states. We have a scheme were elections are extremely close most of the time, but as far as your vote is concerned it is with overwhelming probability literally thrown away and not counted towards that total. It essentially guarantees voter apathy.

> For everyone else, their votes never counted. Yes they did. Sure, it was one vote out of three hundred million, but so was every one else's.

by coldpie 10y ago

> For everyone else, their votes never counted. Yes they did. Sure, it was one vote out of three hundred million, but so was every one else's.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

uoaei 10y ago

The above poster is referring to the lopsided representation of voters due to the electoral college and the degree of contestedness of particular states. For instance, I can be comfortable not voting in California because it is so overwhelmingly blue that, in effect, my vote "didn't count". The same is not true of many midwestern states, where the two major parties are in a dead heat.

coldpie 10y ago
Only one office uses the electoral college. There are a whole lot more offices than that one. Your point is also obviously nonsense on its face: if no one voted, then the results would be different. So surely some votes must count. Do no votes count unless the result is N vs N+1?
- wfo 10y ago
  You are correct that other offices matter and do not use the electoral college but the one office that does use it is exactly the one that we are discussing in this thread (recall, it began with "thanks Jill Stein voters"). It's also the case that many other offices are intentionally gerrymandered (US House, state congress) to ensure voters' choices do not matter, whereas the presidency is gerrymandered by happenstance due to a compromise made centuries ago that is no longer relevant. And yes, opposition votes in deep red states or blue states are counted as cute protest votes much in the way votes for "Mickey Mouse" or "George Washington" or "Jill Stein" are. Votes in line with the state past 50% + 1 simply do not effect the final total or outcome of the election at all, they are thrown away, and what's important is that they never could assuming, e.g. California going blue is a foregone conclusion. Democrats have to do the bare minimum and show up to win California, and Republicans with Alabama, but voting for president doesn't really mean much in those states. We have a scheme were elections are extremely close most of the time, but as far as your vote is concerned it is with overwhelming probability literally thrown away and not counted towards that total. It essentially guarantees voter apathy.