U.S. Presidential Elections 2020 – Does Your Vote Even Count?
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has a significant lead over Republican candidate, Donald Trump in the US presidential elections 2020. However, as promising the double digit lead sounds, it is never sufficient. Moreover, political experts are anything but enthusiastic at the prospect of Biden painting White House blue. Thanks to the electoral college.
Experts are anything but enthusiastic at the prospect of Biden painting White House blue. Thanks to the electoral college.
Remember when in 2016, Hillary Clinton got all the votes that she needed to win but still lost the race? That’s because popular votes matter but deciding factors are always the electoral votes which come in the picture later. You are not really voting for Trump or Biden. You are voting for the electoral slate that has often dented its responsibility with unfaithful decisions. National polls reveal Biden’s promising lead over Donald Trump. Even in the eight swing states, Democrats have flagged their margin over the Republicans. Disparity in the margin of lead varies no doubt – in states like Wisconsin and Michigan, former vice president is 8 and 9 points ahead than POTUS, respectively. However, in Florida, the lead rounds up at mere 3 points. Another swing state Ohio, on the other hand, has vested its trust in Republicans.
Electoral College, And Not The Popular Votes Determine The Win
When US citizens go and cast their vote, they aren’t technically casting their vote to either the Republican or Democrat presidential candidate. Instead, this indirect voting is to determine the slate of electors from each state who, after the gap of a few days, meet in the capital of their state to cast the vote for presidents. It pretty much explains that even if the majority of people cast their vote for Biden in the indirect election, there is still a huge chance that the electoral college elected, can change the entire fate of the presidential race.
Even if Biden wins the majority, there is still a huge chance that the electoral college elected, can change the entire fate of the presidential race.
This concludes a significant fact – a candidate who loses the popular votes can still win the elections. We don’t have to go far in history to present the best example of this situation. In 2016, the last US presidential election race – Hillary Clinton won over Donald Trump in popular vote by 3 million but still lost the elections because the electoral college casted 57 per cent of their votes to Trump. The number of electors who dodged their support to the opposite candidate were 7 – 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans. This was the highest number of unfaithful electoral in history. Another example of the president who won at the mercy of electoral college was George W. Bush in 2000, when Florida’s recount made him then president of the US.
Watch: Hillary Clinton’s Concession Speech In 2016
Who Are These Electors And What Do They Exactly Do?
The people of the United States choose the electoral. All the votes cast till 3rd Nov will determine the electoral panel which will in turn cast their vote to elect the president of the United States. In a perfect world, the electoral members will only rubber-stamp the choice of the people of their state and vote for the candidate that they have pledged their support to. However, these electoral often break their pledge and meddle the votes. The most recent example of such undemocratic win is of, unfortunately, the US presidential election 2020 election’s Republican candidate. And without a speck of doubt, if Trump can do it once, he could very well do it again. Remember POTUS warning people that there will be no transfer of power and only continuation?
There are a total of 538 electors who cast their vote to choose the next president of the US. These electors are the members of Congress from every state. The number of electors from every state varies depending on the size of the state. This is what makes some states more powerful than the others. California is the state with the biggest electoral pool and its polls are yet to come out. Swing states are another crucial deciding factor for popular votes. However, nothing works before the electoral strategy.
Swing states are crucial in deciding popular votes. But nothing works before the electoral strategy.
What comes as a little relief is that 30 states and the District of Columbia have set laws according to which the electors are mandated to vote for the candidate they have pledged for. There are some other states where electors can be canceled or replaced if they change their vote. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are still a lot of states that don’t regulate their electoral slate and this includes states like Michigan and Wisconsin among many others where Biden has a popular lead.
Whether electors should be allowed to change their vote after the first phase of elections is a subject of huge debate but one thing is sure, it is a paradox to democracy. Candidates need to secure 270 out of 538 electoral votes to make it to the White House after U.S. presidential elections 2020.
