Adam Ruins Everything - Why the Electoral College Ruins Democracy
Summary
TLDRThe video humorously critiques the Electoral College system in the U.S., highlighting its undemocratic aspects. It explains how smaller states have disproportionately more electoral power than larger ones, and how swing states dominate presidential elections, leaving many voters' voices unheard. The script also reveals the complex and often overlooked role of electors, who can vote independently in some states. The video touches on the founding fathers' intentions, the system's flaws, and historical attempts to abolish it, all while maintaining a comedic and engaging tone.
Takeaways
- 📊 The Electoral College system disproportionately favors smaller states, giving voters in states like Wyoming more influence than those in larger states like California.
- ⚖️ Wyoming has one electoral vote for every 135,000 voters, while California has one for every 411,000 voters, creating an imbalance in voter power.
- 🌍 The entire election outcome is often determined by a few swing states, leading to most of the country being ignored by presidential candidates.
- 🗳️ Swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio dominate election focus, while up to 80% of votes nationwide may have little impact on the result.
- 💡 Many states, including Texas and California, have significant minority votes for the 'other' party, but the winner-take-all system invalidates these votes.
- 🏛️ Electors are the individuals who actually cast votes for the president, and they are often party insiders or former politicians.
- 🤷♂️ In 24 states, electors aren't required to vote according to the popular vote, and there have been over 80 instances where electors didn't follow the public's choice.
- 😮 An example from 2004 shows an elector mistakenly casting a vote for the wrong candidate, demonstrating the system's potential for error.
- 📅 The Electoral College has been criticized for centuries, but efforts to abolish it have faced significant political resistance.
- 🔙 The Founding Fathers originally designed the Electoral College, but they didn't intend for most Americans, including women and non-landowners, to have voting rights.
Q & A
What is the main criticism of the Electoral College presented in the script?
-The main criticism is that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives unequal power to voters depending on their state, with smaller states having disproportionately more influence compared to larger states.
How does the voting power in Wyoming compare to California in the Electoral College?
-In Wyoming, one electoral vote represents approximately 135,000 voters, whereas in California, one electoral vote represents around 411,000 voters. This means Wyoming voters have roughly three times more power in the Electoral College compared to California voters.
What are swing states, and why are they significant in the Electoral College system?
-Swing states are states that do not consistently vote for the same political party, making them critical for candidates to win. They are significant because they determine the outcome of the election, leading presidential candidates to focus their campaigns almost entirely on these states, while ignoring others.
How does the Electoral College affect the way presidential candidates campaign?
-Presidential candidates focus their efforts on swing states, like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, because these states determine the election's outcome. This results in most of the country being largely ignored during campaigns.
What percentage of votes in recent elections had no impact on the outcome, according to the script?
-According to the script, up to 80% of all votes cast in recent elections had no impact on the outcome due to the focus on swing states.
Why are most states considered 'purple,' according to the script?
-Most states are considered 'purple' because they have a significant number of voters supporting both political parties. For example, millions of Texans voted Democrat, and millions of Californians voted Republican in 2012, showing that these states are not purely 'red' or 'blue.'
What would happen if electoral votes were awarded proportionately instead of using the winner-take-all system?
-If electoral votes were awarded proportionately, candidates from both parties would receive a share of each state's electoral votes. For example, in 2012, 16 of Texas's electoral votes would have gone to Obama, and 20 of California's would have gone to Romney, providing more representation for minority party voters in each state.
Who are the electors in the Electoral College, and what role do they play?
-Electors are individuals, often retired politicians or party affiliates, who cast the official votes for president on behalf of their states. When people vote in a presidential election, they are actually voting to select these electors.
Can electors vote differently from the popular vote in their state?
-Yes, in 24 states, electors are not legally bound to vote according to the popular vote, and there have been over 80 instances where electors voted differently from what was expected, sometimes due to mistakes or personal decisions.
What is the historical context of the Electoral College as explained in the script?
-The Electoral College was designed by the founding fathers, who intended for a complex system of electing the president. They did not originally envision universal suffrage, excluding most Americans, including women and people without property, from voting.
Outlines
🎓 The Electoral College: An Undemocratic System
This paragraph introduces the concept of the Electoral College and critiques it as an undemocratic system. It explains how the system gives more power to voters in smaller states like Wyoming, where each electoral vote represents fewer people compared to larger states like California. As a result, voters in smaller states have more influence in presidential elections, creating an imbalance that makes some votes count more than others.
🎢 Swing States: A Flawed Focus of Presidential Elections
This section highlights how the Electoral College creates 'swing states' where election outcomes are decided by a few key states. It describes how presidential candidates focus on swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, while ignoring most of the country. The result is that the majority of votes cast in non-swing states don't impact the election's outcome, diminishing the importance of votes in states that are solidly red or blue.
🎨 Purple States: The Reality Behind Red and Blue States
This paragraph explores the misconception of states being entirely red or blue. It mentions that many states, including Texas and California, have millions of voters who support the minority party, making them 'purple.' If electoral votes were distributed proportionally based on the popular vote, the results in some states would be more representative of the diverse political views within them, rather than the current winner-takes-all system.
🗳️ Electors: The Real Decision Makers
Here, the focus shifts to the electors, the individuals who actually cast the votes for president. When citizens vote, they are selecting their state's electors, who then vote for the president. Surprisingly, in 24 states, electors are not bound to vote for the candidate chosen by the popular vote, which has led to cases of electors casting votes for the wrong candidate, as happened in 2004 with an elector in Minnesota.
🤯 Efforts to Abolish the Electoral College
This section discusses how the Electoral College has been criticized for centuries, with many attempts made to abolish it due to its undemocratic nature. Despite these efforts, it remains in place because of the political difficulty in changing the system. The paragraph closes with a humorous reflection on the flawed nature of the system, followed by a transition into a comedic commentary from the speaker.
⏳ The Founding Fathers' Intentions
This final paragraph explores the intentions of the Founding Fathers when creating the Electoral College. The speaker challenges the reverence often given to the Founding Fathers, pointing out that their original system didn't grant voting rights to many Americans, including women and people of color. This historical perspective shows how the system was designed in a very different time and for a very different electorate.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Electoral College
💡undemocratic
💡electoral votes
💡Wyoming
💡California
💡swing states
💡red states
💡blue states
💡electors
💡faithless elector
💡founding fathers
Highlights
The Electoral College is a ridiculous and undemocratic system that gives more power to voters depending on their state.
Voters in smaller states like Wyoming have significantly more power in the Electoral College compared to larger states like California.
In Wyoming, each electoral vote represents 135,000 voters, whereas in California, it represents 411,000 voters, making Wyoming voters three times more powerful.
The Electoral College creates 'swing states' where the entire election is determined by a few states, allowing candidates to ignore the majority of the country.
Presidential candidates only focus on swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, ignoring other regions of the country.
In recent elections, up to 80% of votes in the U.S. had no impact on the outcome due to the focus on swing states.
Although some states are traditionally red or blue, many states are actually more politically diverse or 'purple.'
In 2012, millions of Texans voted Democrat, and millions of Californians voted Republican, showing the states' political diversity.
If electoral votes were awarded proportionally, 16 of Texas's votes would have gone to Obama in 2012, and 20 of California's would have gone to Romney.
The 'winner-takes-all' system discourages voters from supporting their state’s losing party, as their votes will have no impact.
When citizens vote, they are actually voting for their state’s electors, not directly for the president.
Electors are often retired politicians or political insiders, and in 24 states, they can vote for whoever they want, not necessarily who the state voted for.
In 2004, an elector from Minnesota cast a vote for 'John Ewards' instead of John Edwards, showing that errors can occur in the Electoral College process.
Attempts to abolish the Electoral College have been ongoing for centuries but have been politically impossible to achieve.
The founding fathers designed the Electoral College system, but they didn't intend for most Americans, including women and minorities, to have the right to vote.
Transcripts
[Music]
every four years we hear the words
Electoral College over and over again
but we never talk about what a
ridiculous and frankly undemocratic
system it really is the Electoral
College gives vastly more power to
different voters depending on which
state they live in bigger States nope
smaller States if your state has less
people you have more power not too many
people live in Wyoming but they have
three Electoral votes or one for every
135,000 voters California is packed with
people but they have 55 electoral votes
or one for every 411,000 voters and
that's totally out of proportion because
it means it takes three times as many
Californians to earn one electoral vote
giving voters in Wyoming three times the
power in the Electoral College as a
result of this system your vote could
count for less just because of where you
live infographics rule right yeah well
it does seem unfair but who cares if the
Electoral College is kooky I'm kooky I
have two turtles okay well it gets worse
because the Electoral College also
creates swing States oh I love the swing
States they make election nights so
exciting kind of like when my turtles
move a little well exciting I think the
fact that the entire election is
determined by just a handful of states
is really messed up for one thing it
means presidential candidates can ignore
almost the entire
country hello America I'm Adam Conover
and I'm running for for president of
Florida Pennsylvania and Ohio and boy do
I love Florida oranges Philadelphia
cheese stakes and whatever you people
like in Ohio the rest of the country can
go suck a big
one people in Ohio like LeBron James who
I don't know many actors anyway swing
states have so much power that in recent
elections up to 80% of all the votes
cast in America had no impact on the
outcome that includes your vote here in
California some states are red States
and some states are blue States that's
the way America is actually Most states
are pretty
purple in 2012 over 3 million Texans
voted Democrat I love barbecue Blake
Shelton and abortions y'all and almost 5
million Californians voted Republican
Surf's Up y'all un El needs to go up
border wall with Mexico dude if
electoral votes were awarded
proportionately in 2012 16 of Texas's
electoral votes would have gone to Obama
and 20 of California's would have gone
to Romney but in our winter take all
system anyone who wants to vote for
their State's losing party might as well
just stay home oh bummer okay everybody
get out I can't listen to anymore how
about we all vote wait who are all these
people oh these are the electors they're
the people who actually vote for
president I thought the Electoral
College was just a name oh nope when we
vote we're actually just picking our
state's electors then those electors get
together and cast their ballots for
president but who are they oh mostly
retired politicians and party
Flats I'm the governor's Rich cousin
okay Mr Smarty that's just a
technicality they have to vote for who
we choose actually in 24 States they can
vote for whoever they
want and that's happened over 80 times
in 2004 an elector in Minnesota cast his
vote for someone named John ewards which
was almost the name of John car's
running mate did you mean John Edwards
yes I may have a drinking
problem that actually happened that
actually happened that elector vote
didn't go to John KY it went to the guy
running for vice president the Electoral
College is such a bad system people have
been trying to abolish it for centuries
but so far it's been politically
impossible okay well thank you for the
information I cannot believe our
beautiful system has become so messed up
oh no the founding fathers designed our
system this messed up all right hold on
a minute young man you do not talk about
the founding fathers like that they were
brilliant men who fought hard for my
right to vote actually the founding
fathers didn't think you should be able
to vote at all or me or most
Americans let's go back in time and I'll
prove it to
you
hi I'm Adam Conover if you want to see
more click here or here I don't know
what either of these are because they're
going to add them in post I don't know
what the videos are they just told me in
the script to do this just here's a
secret for you Hollywood's fake
everything's added in post
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