What does an electoral vote represent?

[apcalc]

Here's a fact:

Wyoming: population 584,153...3 electoral votes
194,718 people per elector

California 38 million plus people, 55 electoral votes
705,455 people per elector

Yep, our president is elected using a rigged system.

[JoeOtterbein]

1. The collective power of the states, ironic is it not?

[LisaL]

3. Each state already gets 2 senators regardless of the size.

And electoral college rules greatly favor small states. So small states rule. We are nowhere near democracy.

[JHan]

4. funny to me..

That a man running a racist xenophobic platform benefits from an archaic system that originated out of a need to placate slave owning states...

yes Donald , the system is rigged .. for YOU.

[LisaL]

2. Yes, we are playing a game where rules greatly favor republicans.

Then we are surprised when we lose.

[Calista241]

5. Maybe California should split up? We'd get more senators and more electoral votes.

[yeoman6987]

9. Talk of this has been a long time

California could easily split in 4. 8 democratic senators sounds good.

[MichMan]

6. How does it favor just one party?

The Electoral College has elected just as many Democrats as Republicans over the last hundred years. How does it favor one party over the other?

Changing the rules to favor one point in time might end up working against us someday. Similar to getting rid of the filibuster.

We would have better odds getting electoral votes divided proportionately within each state, than trying to get a constitutional amendment passed to eliminate it

[Statistical]

7. What is strange is that this wasn't even an intent of the founding fathers ...

The size of the house is left open in the Constitution. It was fixed at 435 in 1911 by legislation and that gives increased power to smaller states due to rounding up to one rep. At various times people have flouted a concept knowing as the Wyoming rule. The house would be floating in size. One representative would represent the number of people in the least populous state. So all states would have at least one Rep and the total size of the house would depend on the population compared to the smallest state. For most recent census that would increase the size of the house from 435 reps to 544.

So
Wyoming = 584,153 = 1 Rep
California = 38 million = 65 Rep
Total = 544 Reps

For EC purposes
Wyoming = 1+2 = 3 EV
California = 65+2 = 67 EV
Total = 544 + 100 +3 (DC) = 647 EV (324 to win)

Still skewed in EC by the effect of Senators but much less so then right now.

[world wide wally]

8. One man - one vote?

Where?