Today is (a continuing) election day in the United States and just about everyone I know is glued to their screens, waiting to see who will be the next President. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign is blowing up email inboxes whining about how the election is being stolen from them by the Democrats.
Every four years hope runs high in the United States that this time we will elect a President who will live up to his promises to unite America or make America great again. This hope runs high despite the fact that political promises are mostly broken.
Let’s review how the President of the United States is elected.
Electing the President
Half of the Framers of the Constitution of the United States wanted Congress to elect the President, while the other half of the Framers wanted a popular vote to elect the President. A compromise was chosen instead: each state would be assigned a number of electors equal to the number of delegates of that state in both houses of Congress; these electors would then cast the vote of that state for President. How do the electors know how to vote? They vote based on the results of the popular election in that state; if the majority of the state voted for a Democratic candidate, the electors for that state vote for the Democratic candidate.
Aside for a few instances where this system didn’t work as intended (see the elections of 1796 and 1800), it’s done pretty well (although we needed one Constitutional Amendment in order for it to do so). One popular misconception remains, though: that the President is chosen on the same day as the popular vote.
That’s incorrect. The electors vote on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December. This year, that means December 14th. Those votes are then sent a bicameral session of Congress presided over by the President of the Senate (currently Mike Pence) who will read the results out to Congress on January 6th. If no candidate receives a clear majority in the Electoral College, the election then goes to the House of Representatives. The President-elect then takes office on January 20th of the following year.
So while the popular vote is a good indicator of who will become President, it’s the votes of the Electoral College that really determine the outcome (unless, as mentioned, the electors are tied). This means it’s possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote, yet still become President (this happened in the 2000 election when George W. Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore but still became President because of his Electoral College votes). A candidate can also win the popular vote but not become President (as happened to Hillary Clinton in 2016).
If someone tells you your vote doesn’t matter, show them this little synopsis of the process. Education is a good weapon against voter suppression.
Why Do We Vote For the President?
There are really two answers to this question. The political answer is: to ensure that one Party does not inordinately shape the future of the country. The other is: for all kinds of reasons.
We want tax cuts. We want a better economy. We want different foreign policy. Ask anyone on the street why they vote, and you’ll get all kinds of answers. All these reasons boil down to one thing: we vote for a particular candidate because they have promised to do things that we want to see done, probably because we think those things will benefit us.
What Happens After the Election
Unfortunately, though, Presidential candidates are often unable to deliver on their promises for a variety of reasons. One reason is simple: promises are often made because the candidate knows his audience wants something, so why not promise it to them? Then there’s Congress. It’s not always easy to get Congress to agree to do something, no matter how well-intentioned the President is. This has been proven time and time again.
So, believing that a President is going to be able to do what he says he’s going to do amounts to a superstition akin to believing that knocking on wood is going to bring good luck. Yet we continue to approach elections as though our candidate can do what has proven impossible in the past: bring us the lives and country we desire.
It’s hard for any President to do that when 50% of the population feels like its voice has gone unheard, as it does after every election. Because there’s a large segment of the population that feels underrepresented, conflict continues both within the government and on the streets.
It’s become even worse in recent years, with the Republican Party sounding more and more like the Tea Party. Instead of having discussions about issues in Congress, shouting matches are the norm. Far from working together to govern the country, the two major parties are constantly at each other’s throats. On the Republican side, the leadership has devolved into fawning yes-men for Trump.
With a government like this, it’s easy to see two things: one, the government is not working as intended. Two, if you want real change, you’re going to have to advocate for it yourself — and advocate strongly.
So, my message is this. Stop giving your power away to any one candidate as though they are the “chosen one” that is going to solve your problems. Start working for the change you want to see.
No one is going to do it for you.
