Why your vote matters
Like bajillions of people on the planet, the day we have all been waiting for is finally here: Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8. It is the day when we, the people, will elect someone to lead our country.
Amidst the katrillion candidate-bashing ads, a few other ones have caught my attention, specifically the ones that encourage people to get out and vote. Yes, your vote matters. Every. Single.Vote.Matters.
Look at some of our past local elections and you will see how every vote matters.
• On June 28, 2012, the consolidation vote of the Montgomery-Lonsdale and Le Center School Districts passed by just 50 votes over three communities.
• In the General Election of that same year, District 3 Le Sueur County Commissioner, John King, was elected to his seat by 1,296 votes. Challenging him was Todd Redmann who lost the vote by just 123 votes.
• In the 2010 City Council Election, Jean Keogh was elected mayor with 578 votes. On her heels was challenger Gordy Prochaska who missed the seat by 55 votes.
• In 2008, incumbent Mayor Mick McGuire barely kept his position. He garnered 668 votes, but challenger Josh Gare received 640 votes, just 28 shy of McGuire’s total.
• We can’t forget the TCU Building Bond Referendum from this year. The vote failed by just 15 votes across the TCU District (Montgomery, Le Center, Lonsdale and Kilkenny).
At this year’s election, we are also voting for a president. This process is a little more complicated when you figure in the electoral college, the group of people who actually elect the president of the United States. Because I’m ancient and barely remember high school, much less my history class and how this works, I did a little research as to how the electoral college works.
The election process begins with the primary elections and caucuses and moves to nominating conventions, during which political parties select a nominee to unite behind. In the case of this year, unity isn’t a real thing because the parties have been so fractured thanks to the choice of candidates. During this time, the nominee also announces a Vice Presidential running mate. The candidates then campaign across the country to explain their views, bash each other and participate in debates.
It is during this time we hear bad speeches, and critique every nuance of a candidate’s wardrobe, hairstyle, mannerism, facial expression, tie color, hand gesture, nasal breaths and position on the stage. The world’s microscope doesn’t get any stronger than during this time.
At the general election next week, Americans will head to the polls to cast their vote for President. But the tally of those votes—the popular vote—does not determine the winner.
What, what?
Instead, Presidential elections use the Electoral College. To win the election, a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes.
The number of electors each state gets is determined by how many members of Congress (House and Senate) the state has. Including Washington, D.C.’s three electors, there are a total of 538 electors in all. (Minnesota has 10).
Each state’s political parties choose their own slate of potential electors. Who is chosen to be an elector, how, and when varies by state.
After you cast your ballot for President, your vote goes to a statewide tally. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner gets all of the electoral votes for that state. This means his or her party’s electors in that state will vote in the Electoral College. (Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system called the Congressional District Method.)
A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors—more than half—to win the Presidential election. In the event no candidate receives the majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President and the Senate chooses the Vice President.
With the divisiveness in Congress, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
To make a long story short. Get out and vote, because it matters.
