OT - Do you actually know this - US President's are not elected by the popular vote.
 

I saw a youtube video -where people believe they can vote for
Dr. Mercola?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW0GFDeYrYQ

this is how all Presidents are voted in according to encarta -it is not by "Popular vote."
http://encarta.msn.com/text_76158147...orge_Bush.html

I have know this for almost 8 years...and it still doesnt seem correct - but then who likes politics?
please read -so we can changeit - the electoral collage must go,
it is controlled democracy... ?! :Sigh:

Electoral Reform
 

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080721/kvh

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080721

By Katrina vanden Heuvel
This article appeared in the July 21, 2008 edition of The Nation.

July 1, 2008

What is this?

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Democracy in America made a surprising--and welcome--comeback this spring. Many of us assumed the front-loaded primary season meant the contest would be less democratic than ever, but instead Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were forced to fight the longest and most nationally inclusive race for a presidential nomination in history.
About 3.5 million new voters registered and cast ballots, boosting participation among young people and people of color to new highs. More people voted in the Democratic primaries in North Carolina and Indiana than turned out for John Kerry in those states during the 2004 presidential race. The previously untapped potential of our democracy was on full display.

Essential to realizing that vision in the twenty-first century is a transformation that doesn't rank high in any poll or list of probable reforms.

http://www.google.com/search?source=...=Google+Search

lookup -electoral reform
on google or yahoo and you will find out how many American's are for it
-yet the voices of democracy have been hushed...

FAIR VOTE.com
 

THE WAY DEMOCRACY WILL BE
For Immediate Release / July 9th 2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Students use Instant Runoff Voting at U.S. Universities
Student elections on campuses and new adoptions showcase IRV's popularity
Contact: Rob Richie, Executive Director of FairVote,


Instant runoff voting (IRV) has been gaining momentum among universities as the preferred mechanism for student elections. Already used by more than half of the nation's top thirty universities for student government elections on campus (based on rankings by U.S. News and World Report), the voting system has been adopted by students for their elections in more than forty colleges and universities nationwide.

The Spring 2008 student election season brought another successful round of IRV, including first-time use at the University of Iowa, with its highest turnout student election ever. Other recent adoptions of IRV include the University of California at San Diego, UCLA, Santa Fe Community College (FL) and North Carolina State. Overall, FairVote estimates at least 30,600 students* voted in IRV elections for student government in the past year. FairVote has assembled a collection of colleges and universities using IRV, along with information on election results, bylaws language and “best practices” for administering IRV elections at:

http://www.fairvote.org/irv/?page=57

Adopting Fair Student Elections
Interest in fair elections systems for student elections around the country has been gaining momentum. More and more schools are following the recommendations of Robert's Rules of Order and adopting instant runoff voting (also called "preferential voting") for single winner elections like student body president. Additionally, some schools have added the choice voting method of full representation for their legislative elections. Georgetown University, University of California at San Diego, University of Iowa, North Carolina State University and Santa Fe Community College all adopted instant runoff voting over the two past academic years (Santa Fe Community College being the first community college to implement IRV).

The Spring 2008 student election season brought another successful round of instant runoff voting (IRV) elections, including the University of Iowa's highest turnout student election ever. Recent elections at Georgetown, MIT, CalTech, Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, Princeton and many others and the implementation of IRV this year at some of the best universities of the country also showcase IRV's growing use on college campuses. Each time IRV has allowed better voter choice and wider voter participation by accommodating multiple candidates in single seat races and assuring that a "spoiler effect" will not result in undemocratic outcomes. IRV allows all voters to vote for their favorite candidate without fear of helping elect their least favorite candidate, and it ensures that the winner enjoys true support from a majority of the voters.

Not only are many colleges switching to IRV, already more than 50% of the nation's top thirty universities have adopted instant runoff voting and/or choice voting for student government elections on campus (based on rankings by U.S. News and World Report).

NEW!!! [ List of colleges and universities using IRV ]
http://fairvote.org/?page=1975

how this works informative annimation on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLVAF6M-FcQ

A Canadian speaks up
 

I have mixed feelings about the US system and was surprized when I learned that politicians are elected by the number of delegate votes one gets.(the Al Gore thing brought it out in spades!) It is a very convoluted system that in a time of mass media should not require such a grueling trip to the white house. Not to mention the millions of dollars spent. The problem with a democracy is that everyone gets to say something, but as the system gets bigger and more complex people have no idea who to say it to or where to go to say it. Much less, what to say when they get there....wherever "there" is. And CNN!!

I could write a whole whack on CNN! (I did actually, and then accidently erased it.)

Up here in Canada, the guys who want to represent the country just put on their favorite toques and we vote for the guy with the toque we like best.

Don't know what a toque is? Get out the old Funk and Wagnal. Don't know
what a Funk and Wagnal is? Don't worry about it, go back to whatever you were doing before you read this post.

I actually get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching from the bleachers.

Goooooo Hilary!!! OOOps that was last week:p