My roommate asked me this morning why I was so nervous. She reasoned that Obama had a clear lead in the polls, and that there was very little for me to be worrying about. I tried to explain her that there was more to it than that.
I’m not just worried about the presidential election. I am worried about congressional elections. I am worried about state and local issues (a special note: I am in particular, worried about Proposition 8. I know it is a controversial issue, and that I do not even live in California, but I still feel a connection to it. The dissolution of equality is a terrible crime. If anyone reading this is a California voter, please vote NO on Proposition 8!). I am concerned about so many things that are beyond my control. I can’t vote for a senator outside of Maine. I cannot vote against things like Proposition 8 that I am deeply opposed to. Even my vote for president is fairly useless, as I live in a state with only 4 electoral votes that is not even close to being a swing state.
Right now, according to Pollster, Obama is in danger of losing Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida. Maine, the only state I have any influence over, will definitely go to Obama. Most of what I do for the rest of today is useless. Now it’s merely a waiting game. And that’s what worries me.
I am not saying that people shouldn’t vote. I am saying that the system is corrupt, and that it does not give the people a fair chance. I am not even really so much against McCain today as I am against the Electoral College. Whichever way the race goes, there will be unheard voices, and that doesn’t sit right with me.
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2 comments:
I agree with your final point - the whole election system if terribly flawed. I never did understand why the President is elected by the states (literally) and not by the people. If we could only use the popular vote, which is recorded, then we would have an accurate election! (I'm thinking, the 2000 election, when Gore had a couple million more votes than Bush, but yet lost because of the electoral college) Here's an idea: many people say that their vote doesn't count, because they're in a deep red or deep blue state. Well, if we used the popular vote to elect a president, then their vote would really count - literally!
Sam -- I couldn't have said it better. The Electoral College itself once had a purpose but if we want to truly consider our country to be a Democratic country, we should just completely scrap the Electoral College. Only then will the cynicism and alienation people feel will start to recede.
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