by Adam King

Created on: May 13, 2010

Many American citizens might criticize the Electoral College for inaccuracy when it doesn’t portray the results of the popular vote.  In some states dominated by a particular party such as California or New York, it can be assumed that the republicans in the area feel hopeless in an attempt to have their voice heard in the vast majority of those who oppose their view.  In fact, California and New York haven’t been considered a “red state” in over 20 years during presidential elections.  This raises a big question to voters in states dominated by one side: Does my vote even matter?

The same philosophy can be applied to the widely used mindset of “who cares if I litter, I’m only one person.”  The fact is, there are millions who say everyday that they are only one person.  They believe that they make no impact being just one person amongst an entire country. 

Now, take that and apply it to the Electoral College.  It is hard to grasp the concept of “every votes counts” when you are making up a spec of society.  However, there are many people who are faced with this decision constantly during election time.

The truth is, your vote does matter and so do all of the votes that aren’t cast.  The Electoral College was originally created to dilute the amount of unintelligent voters.  If you take a look at the other side of things, there are most likely voters in dominantly red or blue states that think that their state isn’t going to swap sides just because of one vote. 

So, even a democrat in New York might not vote just because of the mindset that his side doesn’t need his vote.  Therefore, the thought of a vote not making a difference is apparent in many people on both sides of the spectrum. 

A person who is backed by the majority could be discouraged to vote just because they believe the rest of the population will cover for him or her.  On the flip side, someone who feels hopeless in the face of a majority won’t vote just because they believe that the one vote won’t matter.

To sum up, every vote counts.  The thought races through everyone’s mind on whether or not they should even vote come election time.  But, if everyone believed this and didn’t vote, then there is an even bigger issue to deal with.

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