Om Patel0:00 Hey, so I just kind of want to come out here and talk about the Electoral College versus the popular vote.0:04 And uh it's essentially I'm asking the question like should the United States keep the Electoral College?0:10 Um, you know, in the United States elections, we don't really pick the president directly.0:15 Um we use something called the Electoral College, uh, which means that each state gets a certain number of votes based on the amount of people that live there.0:22 Uh, and then whatever candidate has the most amount of votes in that state gets all of the electoral college votes.0:28 So that's why sometimes you'll see whether you'll see a candidate get more popular votes, meaning more mo more Americans voted for them overall, but they they'll still lose the election because they lost the electoral college.0:40 Um and you know, some people say that's unfair and outdated, and I don't I don't know uh if I'm informed enough to say whether or not it's unfair or outdated, but I mean a lot of people believe that every vote should matter equally no matter where you live, and I think that's a fair s fair statement to make.0:57 You know, uh a lot of some other people argue that the electoral college protects uh smaller states and keeps big cities like New York and Los Angeles from deciding everything on their own.1:06 But personally I think the system made sense when the country was first founded.1:10 Uh times have changed.1:11 You know, there's a lot more communication, there's a lot better technology.1:15 We could have a more direct democracy where every individual vote pretty much counts the same.1:19 You know, it might be time to rethink how we choose our leaders.1:23 Um and that's just kind of some thoughts I had about it.1:26 Uh let me know is what let me know what you guys think.
Noah McDonald0:00 Hey um I appreciate you coming out.0:02 Uh first things first, great video.0:04 Uh I think it really proposes some great questions about the US system.0:09 And honestly, uh you brought up some great points.0:12 Um But yeah, I'm sort of uh on the fence as well.0:15 Like I I don't know, it has both its positives and its negatives.0:18 I really think that yeah, just I don't know.0:22 I feel like a popular vote would represent the population more.0:25 Um obviously you're taking just a pure majority, which I think at times has its upsides, but also at the same time, um I think the Electoral College has been working for us for the past 200 years plus and so I mean it really is just it would be tough to be able to change the way things have always been, so
Wesley Joyce0:00 I think y'all knowing Om, I think y'all both um bring up some valid points.0:04 One thing that I've always thought about about the Electoral College, and this may have just been how I was raised, you know.0:10 Um, but I am a proponent of it.0:12 I think that is the way it should be.0:14 Um you know, whenever you win a state, you win all of them.0:17 I believe some states split some of their how their electors vote.0:21 Um that being said, uh, I think what Om said about these big cities like New York and LA just being able to take these things and run with it.0:30 Um, I think that's very much true.0:32 And then when you look at some of these rural areas like where I'm from and some of these farming towns, um these places don't really, they don't have the people to vote.0:43 Um, yet they manage and work the land and feed our country.0:48 Um you know, when you have these guys who get severely underrepresented, and a lot of these rural um places or you know, some of the breadbaskets of America or um some of the place where some of our most crucial materials are made, and um people don't really think about it because how could you think about it?1:06 You know, you go to the grocery store, your food's always gonna be there.1:09 You don't really think about what these farmers go through.1:11 Um, but they really don't have a voice.1:13 Uh and they do, but their voice isn't nearly as loud as large pharmaceutical companies or um you know these these hot topics, you know.1:24 If you talk to some of our advisors about you know SIM cards, they would have a lot more to say than if you asked them about you know tax cuts to farmers.1:34 Um so yeah, I think the Electoral College as a whole generally protects us, but it does I think also what you said, Um, about every vote counting equally.1:44 Um I yes, uh they all do in a sense, but also I see what you're saying where they don't, where it comes down to the electoral college.1:52 So, in my opinion, I think it needs to say because it has worked for so long, and it is pretty rare that you see somebody um another thing too, it's pretty rare that you see the popular vote not also win the electoral college.2:05 It's happened in the past.2:06 Um, but it's it's slightly rare, but I think I think it overall it looks after our lesser represented industries better.
Thomas Freer0:00 You know, um, this is a great topic you brought up, and I agree with a ton of the points you made, but I would like to choose a side just to defend the electoral college a little bit.0:13 I think that yes, it's our country has changed a lot since it was instituted, and there could be changes, but at the same time, I do think that the founders intended to have the electoral college for one main reason, and that's to prevent the urban majority from dominating the rural minority.0:36 If you look at our state of Georgia, for example, um, almost 60% of the state lives in the metro Atlanta area.0:46 And yes, Atlanta's a big city, but it is very small in comparison to the entire state of Georgia, how much land that takes up.0:55 So there are lots of people in the rest of the state that cover a lot of land and have very different issues.1:02 You know, you may not you may live in a city um and you're experiencing a lot of issues like public transportation, but at the same time, there's someone else who's living on a farm who needs to make sure that their animals are kept well and that their food is growing right so they can sell that and make a living.1:24 Um, and those things are necessary to everyone involved, especially in the cities.1:29 But um if you let if you did away with the electoral college, it would take power away from some of these smaller, more rural states, and it would let states like California and New York with these huge urban populations in LA and New York City and maybe Chicago, um, they would dominate the political landscape, and it'd be very difficult for these um for rural Americans to get as much um to have their voices heard as well.