If I vote for Trump/Cruz (just saying) and Bush/? wins, that means that the person representing my state decided that Trump/Cruz wasn't going to win, but Bush/? did, is that fair???
Does this Electoral College damage our voting rights?
I know it's part of the Constitution, but if I want to vote for Trump/Cruz and my vote doesn't count....why vote at all???
If the EC were abolished, the larger progressive populations of New York and California would rule forever.
I would say absolutely not.
I had questioned the wisdom of the Electoral College voting until I saw the USA Today County by County voting map for 2000 and 2004. The Electoral College vote demonstrates the founder's wisdom in a way that words could not.
It also illustrates the value of a Bicarmel Congress and exposes the basic flaw in questioning the founders’ wisdom by ratifying the 17th amendment.
I highly recommend your daughter, and perhaps you, read the Federalist Papers or better yet take the free on line courses offered by Hillsdale College. Your time will be well served.
I think you might really be asking about delegates at the convention?
Sorry, but you need to read a bit closer when you cast your vote. You are not voting for a candidate. You are voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for that candidate in the Electoral College. The Electors elect the president, not the voters.
The Electors are actors for each of the states. Every state assigns either all the electors to the winner of the popular vote in the state or the two electors each state receives for its two senators to the popular vote in the state and the remaining electors for the majority winner in each congressional district.
What damages a person’s voting rights is the gerrymandering mandated by the courts to create congressional districts in which a minority group is in the majority so people, often of inferior intellect and character, will be elected solely because they are a member of the minority group.
You also appear to believe that there is one election in the United States every four years. In fact, there are 51 elections, one in each state and one in the District of Columbia which determine the electors.
If you want your vote diluted, eliminate the Electoral College. The big cities where there is the most voter fraud will have even more voter fraud which will result in the theft of more presidential elections than have been stolen in the past (for example, the 1960 presidential election in which Chicago reported just enough votes for Kennedy to throw the election to Kennedy even though the number of votes reported excepted the number of people who voted in Chicago!)
The framers feared unfettered democracy just as they feared Monarchy, pure democracy would invite panic or knee jerk voters to dominate as well as lead to the "gimme stuff" majority we have today.
Originally the Senate was appointed by states, the right to vote was restricted to "serious" citizens, Congress (both elected & appointed houses) was considered to be in tension with the executive & the Supremes (The court was intended to deny any unconstitutional efforts by the other two); hence, a balance between powers that would often have different aims.- The Electoral College & bifurcated congress were primary defenses against mob rule, charismatic dictatorship, and rule by the most populated state/states. It also presumed numerous candidates for presidency (first runner up to be VP), rather than the straight R or D choices we have today.
The Electoral College is not the problem here and I suggest that your question arises from liberal education of your daughter and the "progressive" drive over recent years to do away with it in favor of a strict one man (sic) one vote goat rope.
NOTE - I'm open to correction if it can be found to be needed.
In most states the elector is bound by law to vote the way it was set on the ballot.
A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
A short but interesting argument for the electoral college posted by Cato Institute: http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/defense-electoral-college
Correcting myself, apparently a president has won the electoral college but not the popular vote 4 times:
http://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/presidents-winning-without-popular-vote/