5.27.20: Being Heard by the Electoral College
Plus contacting elected representatives
May 27, 2020.
Good Wednesday Morning. After a long weekend away, you were firing on all cylinders with your feedback. Thank you so much for so many thoughtful comments on yesterday’s questions.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one worried about being asymptomatic. With my gym opening I told my instructor id be waiting at least 2 weeks for the numbers and bc of that. I'm glad others care. Went to the supermarket last night. It later so not a ton of people. Only 2 other people with mask (not including employees) is not promising about whats to come.
And a flashback to one of our earlier questions.
A few weeks you asked about weird dreams - mine seem to have just started! Damn anxiety...
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Results from May 26, 2020
Question 1: On a scale of 1 (the least) to 5 (the most), how much does it matter to you to be heard?
An average of 3.6, suggesting it does matter to folks.
But at least one anonymous respondent expressed some concerns around the broader implications of everybody being “heard”.
There’s a certain danger inherent in the desire to be “heard,” because let’s be honest: there are people with misinformed, hateful, or outright evil ideas who also happen to have loud voices and large audiences, especially considering social media has become such a ubiquitous behemoth in our daily lives. Freedom of Speech simply means that the government can’t censor you; it’s not blanket permission to say whatever you want, whenever you want. We need to accept the reality that some opinions are indeed less valid than others, especially those solely informed by emotion and feelings rather than facts and hard data.
Another anonymous user is okay with not being heard.
I don’t need my voice or opinion to be heard. Is it fun to talk about important issues with friends and family, absolutely. I personally believe that if someone NEEDS to have their voice to be heard, than that person is missing something in their life. To me personally I find the loud ones and the people waiting at the microphone to be the least interesting people. Build your own canoe. This “triggered”, everyone Is special and matters, no losers, here is a trophy because you tried mentality is making us ALL weak.
Do not criticize my 2002 Youth Football Participation Trophy. I *earned* that thing.
Question 2: By whom does it matter that you are heard?
I don’t currently feel like it matters to be heard by elected leaders because I don’t think they care and it’s a lot more work than I’m willing to do to get them to listen. But, since that is a goal of tina - I’m excited to add that to my list in the future.
Hey, oh!
Question 3: Have you ever contacted one of your elected representatives at the federal level? (Either your Member of Congress in the House of Representatives or one of your two US Senators)
Less. Than. Half.
Question 4: Would you support amending the US Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College to select the President by a national popular vote?
One anonymous user asked:
Do people understand the rationale for the electoral college?
Based on the comments, the answer to that question (at least for Tina subscribers) is a resounding yes.
There were some that support the general structure but believe it needs a little work.
The electoral college, though flawed, does redistribute some of the power that is concentrated in cities and coastal states. I think the formula needs to be reconsidered because the majority of the US is not being heard as much as they should, but I don’t think California and New York should dominate national politics. I still agree with the idea of the EC, but it needs to be updated.
I do think the electoral college system is definitely outdated and needs to be fixed, however I’m not sure that switching straight to just popular vote is the best course of action. I think maybe the electoral college system should be tweaked/re-worked.
Others used recent cultural phenomenons to tell a history lesson about Federalism.
That boy Hamilton has gotten way too much hype because of a trendy, culturally appropriating musical directly aimed at the 1%. Hypocrisy! The federalist perspective gave us the electoral college - we should re-examine his contribution to democracy in the current climate rather than propping him up as a “woke” Allstar. #teamburr #linmanuelisthevirus
(But seriously… #LinManuelIsTheVirus?)
Some pointed out that a national popular vote for President would be a rejection of the founding principles of our country.
American federalism rests on the EXPLICIT REJECTION of direct democracy. The same logic that would do away with the electoral college would scrap the Senate. If abolition of the American system is your thing, fine, but don't think that you can tinker with the machinery of government without undermining our foundational assumptions.
Still others noted that perhaps strengthening, rather than eliminating, the Electoral College would achieve the same political outcome some desire.
I suspect lots of left-leaning respondents will support dismantling the electoral college, as they perceive it has deprived them of political victories lately and enabled Donald Trump's election. I think that's a huge misread. We have Trump despite antidemocratic institutions, not because of them. Instead of getting rid of the electoral college, we'd all do better to restore it to its original form: a sort of temporary congress of statesmen, who cast votes for the president among themselves, insulated from mob rule. If that were the case, Republican electors never would've allowed Trump to be nominated or elected.
Question 5: Assume that the United States continued to select its President through the Electoral College. Would you support your state awarding its electoral votes to the Presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, even if that candidate does *not* win your state?
Not as much support here. This questions is asking about the popular vote state compact, whereby states would vote to award their electoral votes to whichever candidate receives the most popular votes.
It’s seen by some as a way “around” the Electoral College, but it requires that states buy in, and as this anonymous user points out, that may be easier said than done.
In question 5... I only support my state electoral votes going to the individual who won the STATE popular vote. Just bc the country voted one way does not mean our state should automatically follow suit....
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