Last week in my Poli-Sci class we dove in to the age old discussion of...Does your vote Really count?

The technical answer is No. But at the same time if no Democrats vote in a given state the the Republican candidate will win that state, so in that case your vote did matter. Thus creates the paradox.

It seems that now that all but a handful of the states have been designated as either red or blue (Texas will always be taken by the Republicans, California will always be taken by the Dems). This means that the minority party's votes in a given state mean nothing ever.

Riddle me this: Your vote in a national election means nothing, yet 120 million will vote, the only time your vote actually means anything is in state or local elections but you may have 2,000-5,000 vote in a county of 50,000? The only things we can really change are at the state and local level, people need to understand this.

Why even vote? And how many are in favor of switching from the current electoral system to the popular vote?

My proposition: Write in "Albert Hainesworth" (Defensive Tackle for the Tennessee Titans)

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

Your vote does matter because it gives you the ability to complain about the results.

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^My First Knockout Victory!^

It's 'Haynesworth'.

Go Titans!!!!!!!!!! [I go to nearly all of the home games]

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“Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” --Barack Obama

My bad, but what about not drafting a receiver? You think they'll pick up some free agents this summer?

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

The way Vince Young has been throwing the ball [9 passing TDs last season], I doubt a wide receiver will make much difference. We did acquire a good Tight End in Alge Crumpler in the off season trading.

We lost 2 of our better Defensive players this 'off season', I hope we can make up for that. Without a solid defense the Titans don't stand much of a chance.

Where are you posting from, Nashville? [That's where I am]

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“Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” --Barack Obama

You vote matters. Just only a little bit. Your individual vote wouldn't have changed the election. Does that mean you would assign someones vote as the "winner" that decided the election? No, your vote is part of the whole.

Go ahead and give yourself 1/80,000,000 th of the credit for a win.

As for the states you mentioned.

The governor. Or rather the "Governator" of California is a Republican. And Texas has been a major factor in the Dems nominating process.

So being the the party and voting can clearly matter. There are also ballot initiatives and a wide number of things.

Granted on specific vote for a president in the general election it is possible a vote doesn't really count due to the nature of states. Though at the least you actually make the other side expend the effort and resources to get that win. But you should be there to vote for other stuff anyway.

I'm in knoxville right now, but I'll be headed back home to Franklin on Tuesday!

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

Stop trying to make me feel less important.

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It doesn't matter who we elect, it doesn't matter what they've done or who they've done, what is important is what they actually do. Too many politicians are politicians - they like to talk about useless issues and keep people in the dark about the real issue: money. I will always care more about what the government tells me I have to spend my money on, opposed to some unborn assassination. Freedom is the right to chose, on everything.

The thing is you don't even get 1/80,000,000 of the credit for the win. Only in a popular election would you get that kind of credit, as it is now you only get credit if your party wins your state, the other votes are meaningless. And even more technically the votes in smaller states (population wise) count at a 1.2:1 ratio, so if their vote does "count then it is worth slightly more than most. And yes during the primaries, depending on what state your in, is the only time your vote would count. I'd rather the parties give me the $54 they spend on "earning" my vote and let me buy a bunch of candy with it, saving them time and making me more happy! The electoral college is outdated and stupid.

"Stop trying to make me feel less important."

It's not that I'm trying to make you feel less important, its that I'm asking everyone to recognize the need for, Oboma's favorite word.

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"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people." -V

Nice. I live on the West side just past Bellevue.

Cheers!

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“Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now.” --Barack Obama