I did not vote for Barack Obama.  Am I an avid supporter of his ideals of reform, hope, and change?  Definitely.  I did not vote for Darth Grandpa.  Also known as John McCain.  I loved him as a candidate in 2000, when he was pushing heavily for campaign reform as what I like to call a ‘rational’ Republican.  In 2010, he seemed more keen to carry the party line as the GOP antagonist.  He also unleashed the rampant force of anti-intellectualism that I call Sarah Palin from her icy cave.  I did not vote.

In truth, I have never voted.

And its not because I’m disinterested in the future of the United States.  Its because the American democracy is not a democracy at all.

When it comes to moral convictions, I have to say I’m fairly soft.  They are few in number and even fewer that I’ll actually make an effort to pursue.  One example comes to mind immediately.  On my moral convictions scale, this one probably rates a 9.5.  Here goes:  When I’m building my base in Command & Conquer or Warcraft, I will lose money/gold and time to sell off already-constructed buildings and rebuild them in a different configuration so that my defenses, traffic flow, and visual aesthetic is properly satisfied.  This is why I hate playing against other gamers, because they do not suffer from this same obsessive compulsiveness in building a viable community for their orcs and trolls.  I hope that my opponent can appreciate the civic planning and infrastructure investment in the base that they are fire bombing with their Nod Avatars.

One of the few convictions that I have (that actually applies to something in the real world) is voting, particularly on the federal level.  I have to admit that I still feel a bit guilty that I’m not exercising my right in the popular poll.  But that’s the very reason that I do not vote.  It is not a ballot.  The popular vote actually means nothing.  It’s a protozoic institution known as the Electoral College.  Here’s a quick political science overview on how our government works and why it was constructed this way.

Electoral College

Historically, electoral colleges are composed of the aristocracy because the common person is not deemed intelligent enough to make a conscientious vote.  For example, German kings/emperors needed the support and election of their nobles.  These nobles, based on birth, wealth, and military power, voted or formed power bases to support their candidate.  This support was often in exchange for favors, bribes, or land.  Electors are assumed to be more informed, wiser, and more important than the common voter.

In the United States, the electoral college was originally intended to be the Senate.  Yep, that’s right.

The American legislative branch was set up as a bicameral model after home England.  The House of Representatives mirrored the House of Commons and the Senate mirrored the House of Lords.  The Senate as was intended to be members of the upper class, the rich elite.  That deference and prestige towards the US Senate and its members persists today.  Originally, they were elected by the state legislatures … not by the people.  You can call this indirect democracy, but I prefer to think of this quote  by James Madison as context instead: “”The use of the Senate is to consist in proceeding with more coolness, with more system, and with more wisdom, than the popular branch”.

Did you know that for the first five years, the Senate met in virtual secrecy and did not even keep meeting minutes?

By the merits of the Virginia Plan, the presidency was to be determined by the legislative branch (i.e. voted on by the Senate and not the people), but it was compromised instead that a college of electors would be proportioned by state population instead.  And thus we have the Electoral College.

James Madison, co-author of the Federalist Papers, argued one of the greater points of this system.  He stated that as the republic grew larger, it would be harder to combat regionalism or popular movements as well as the difficulties in organizing such a hefty system.  The Presidency was meant to be a mixed system of popular and state election.

Screw That

Yep, that’s right.  Screw that.  I believe 100% in a popular election from the office of the Presidency.  For example, I’m an American citizen and I plan on being so until I die despite the fact that I live in Australia.  I don’t live in a US state.  Instead, I live in a foreign country.  With such a heavy emphasis on state’s rights in the federal elections, I do not have a say.  Not in the least.

In 1980, Ronald Regan secured a massive, historic landslide victory over Walter Mondale.  He won the election with 90% of the electoral ballot.  Did you know that he actually only carried 50.7% of the popular vote?  Completely changes the nature of the election, don’t you think?  Reagan was touted as the people’s overwhelming favorite, the nation has spoken.  Is 50+% a mandate to govern?  That’s another topic. He just happened to edge out all of the big states by slim margins and as a result got 100% of their electoral votes.  It places a huge emphasis on a handful of key states and the rest are largely ignored.

I know what you are saying – Rob, even with 50.7% of the vote Reagan would still have won by a simple majority.  Who cares?

Did you know that THREE presidents have actually won the popular vote, but lost the election?  It happened in 1876, 1888, and 2000.  Can  you say that these are the real presidents as selected by the people?  Its a farce.  Screw that.

Electoral Ballot This

Obviously in my cotton candy world view, the best system is a straight popular vote.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner.  If you get at least a +1 vote count over the other idiot, then bingo bango – you’ve got a new address and a fancy airplane.  If it is essential for there to be an electoral system (and with today’s technology … it isn’t), then at least let their votes mirror the proportion of the voting in their state.  If a state votes 70/30 then give that 30% a voice and allow 30% of the state’s electors.  Then someone with a different opinion than the state majority will still have a voice.

Don’t think I’m naive – I already know what you people are thinking.  Good, Rob, don’t vote.  You’ll lose your power and voice even more … and you don’t have the right to complain at the results.  Here’s my response in three-parts.

First, screw you.

Second, you don’t have any real power either.  It’s an illusion.  Sure, you’ve got a vote in the local ballots, polls, and elections.  I don’t live in the USA, so it would not be fair for me to pretend to just so I can cast an absentee in a local vote and exercise my right of real democracy.

Third, if there is one guarantee about the rights of an American it’s their right to complain.  We’re just as good at as any nation in the world and often times twice as good.  Complain, complain, complain.

And that is one right that I choose to exercise as often as possible.