Why your vote didn’t count
Yes, the headline is correct. If you voted for president in most states, your vote did not matter at all. And that includes Hawaii. Why? Because your state is dominated by either Republicans or Democrats, and it is probably a winner-take-all state.
The reason why people complain about the Electoral College is because of how the states have undermined the intent of the Founding Fathers. It used to be that the plurality (majority vote) in each district determined that single electoral vote. With two states as an exception, it has now become a state-wide referendum.
If it went back to the original system, it would work much better, but the presidential candidates would have to visit all 50 states, and not a handful as they do now. The “swing states” media would howl as they get a substantial advertising windfall every four years.
In the 19th century, they actually visited every state they could. They were called Whistle Stop tours. The candidate would live on a train, and be taken state to state to give speeches from the back of the train. No more.
As Hawaii’s plurality voted for the Democratic candidate repeatedly, it has become a safe bet for continued Democratic electoral votes. So if you’re a Republican, your vote didn’t make the slightest bit of difference, and almost certainly won’t in the future!
In this election, the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney got 53.4% to President Obama’s 45.3%. He lost. Could Republican toters have just bypassed that part of the ballot as their votes didn’t matter? You decide.
In the prior election, Republican John McCain got 52.2% to Barack Obama’s 47%. In the 2004 election, Bush, 58% to Kerry’s 41%.
You see the bias. That’s why a Hawaii Republican vote doesn’t matter. It should.
I have no idea why the press keep talking about the popular vote and how Obama beat Romney by such and such percentage. It just doesn’t matter; only electoral votes do.
It’s like running a race and losing, but claiming that the winner was taller than you so that should make a difference. It just doesn’t matter. Passing the finish line first is all that counts.
