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Monday, September 15, 2008
Voting lessons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was about this time in 1980 and scores of students at Aloma Elementary School in Orlando, Florida cast ballots in a mock presidential election.
Perhaps those students were the ultimate political prognosticators, because they elected the then Republican candidate, Ronald Wilson Reagan, as president of the United States in a landslide.
That memory came flooding back when I read the article by AJC reporter D. Aileen Dodd on Norcross’ Hopewell Christian Academy, which recently held a mock election of their own.
Three students, selected by their social studies teacher, were chosen to represent and present a speech before their classmates as either John McCain, Bob Barr, or Barack Obama.
In Hopewell’s mock election, there were 86 votes cast for Barack Obama (including one from the guy chosen to represent McCain). I guess we will find out in just over a month if they are anywhere near as accurate as we were at Aloma.
Here is the problem: Obama (and Reagan in 1980) was elected by the popular vote in these mock elections.
Did we learn anything from south Florida in 2000? Nothing?
Class is in session and here is today’s lesson: As far as the presidency goes, your vote doesn’t matter.
That’s right… I said your vote (for president) means nothing.
Why? Because the majority was never meant to rule by design. We are not a Republican nation. We are not a Democratic nation. We are not a Christian nation. Therefore, the popular vote is insignificant. Well mostly. It is a great example of the brilliance of our Founding Fathers so that all men are equal under the rule of law and so our government maintains a balance of power.
See, we have this thing called an Electoral College. THEY elect the president of the United States. The votes you cast in November are nothing more than a message to the Electoral College saying “hey… this is who we think should be the next leader of the free world and we hope you agree.”
There is nothing written anywhere that says that an Elector has to vote according to the popular vote. Nothing.
Now, if those individuals ever want to be an Elector again and not be chased outta town with a witch hunt right on their tail end… they’ll probably want to vote according to the peoples choice they themselves were chosen to represent.
Today’s lesson doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vote. You just need to know and understand when your vote matters… and when it doesn’t.
Class is dismissed.
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