Voting by the Numbers…

Johnny-on-the-Spot … by John Foster …

Although ALL of the votes have been cast, there are still a few yet to be counted (ss of this writing) but the big pieces are in place after the 2024 election.

Donald Trump becomes only the 2nd President in our history to be elected to a non-consecutive term, thus becoming our 45th and 47th President.

Grover Cleveland did the same thing in 1884-1892.

I found out that there were 161.42 million registered voters for this election and about 156 million of them voted.

Our population is about 335 million and about 22% of that number is 18 years of age or younger; that indicates to me we could have more than 260 million eligible voters.

Forget about who you or I voted for, there were about 100 million of us who didn’t vote.

But I bet they all have opinions on the choices we made.

To them I say, “Hush!”

If you didn’t vote, I don’t personally care to hear from you.

Now, to my fellow voters, some numbers to consider.

I first voted in 1972.

Since then, there have been two occasions when the Electoral vote did not go the way of the popular vote.

In 2000, we had “hanging chads” and a recount in Florida after Al Gore won the popular vote by about 544 thousand votes.

George W. Bush eventually won with 271 Electoral votes with 270 needed to win.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million but lost to Donald Trump who received 304 Electoral votes.

Since 2008, the winning Presidential candidate has garnered at least 304 Electoral votes with 270 needed to win.

Is this a perfect way to select a President?

First of all, you and I don’t cast votes directly for President.

We actually vote for members of the Electoral college.

They will vote on December 17th.

Personally, I favor a version of what Maine and Nebraska voters do.

With the exception of those two states, whichever candidate tops the popular vote in the state gets ALL the Electoral votes.

In Maine and Nebraska, those votes are divided by the Congressional Distribution Method which allocates a percentage to the candidates.

Maine’s been doing that since 1972, while Nebraska went that way in 1996.

Opponents of that method claim it makes elections less competitive and increases the chance of a candidate winning without grabbing the majority of the winning vote.

There are at least 2 efforts nationwide to address the way we elect Presidents; there’s “Ranked Choice Voting” and the “Fair Representation Act”.

I’d personally prefer a method by which the Electoral votes are handed out to each candidate based on the percentage of the actual vote.

Makes me feel as though my vote really counts.

Our current two-party system makes it damned near impossible for a 3rd party to even get in the race; so much for making elections less competitive.

There hasn’t been a viable 3rd party candidate since the 1992 and 1996 elections when H. Ross Perot tossed his hat in the ring.

Perot actually received about 19% of the total ballots cast in 1992.

Earlier this year, the “No Labels” party started making some noise when polls revealed the majority of voters at that time didn’t like either Biden or Trump but they fizzled when “too many arms got twisted or money flowed too freely”.

(The thoughts/opinions in quotes are mine).

I think we need to explore other options beyond just two major parties.

Regardless of how you voted and who won, I am hopeful that we might be able to set aside the rhetoric and divisive blathering that seems to dominate.

I am so tired of “he’s not my President”.

Sorry to break the news to you but whomever wins the Electoral college and the popular vote wins.

A local candidate that I have a lot of respect for said once the votes are tallied, it’s time for the elected to represent the people.

Red states, Blue states.

Republicans or Democrats.

You office-seekers have been elected to go to work.

For you and I.

Not that national elections aren’t important, but who do you contact when your road needs paved or plowed or the trash needs picked up?

If the national “talking heads” want to keep the folks unhappy, maybe we on the local and state level can show them we’d rather see things done differently.

It starts by us accepting the results and getting on with our lives.

My world didn’t start or stop with the November 5th vote.

Maybe I’m not totally happy with the things turned out.

Perhaps I’m over-joyed.

Either way, there are people who depend on me for the work I do so I need to press on.

So do you.

Robert Kennedy Jr. said, “Democracy is messy and it’s hard. It’s never easy”.

American patriot Thomas Paine is quoted as saying, “Those who wish to reap the blessings of liberty must undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”.

Okay, America.

How ya’ gonna handle this?

More of the same or perhaps a different thought?

Worth a try, don’t you think?