Toto............I don't think we're a democracy any more.........

[ABikerSailor]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

Fix the state electoral college on the state level where the popular vote will tell the electoral college how it must vote.

Also you will disagree with me but Al Gore lost the 2000 election because he did not win his home state, and had Al Gore won his home state George W. Bush would have never been President and Florida would have not mattered..

As for the Primaries and Caucuses, well the popular vote should rule them and it should be changed to that and we should do away with Caucuses and just have Primaries only...

 

[Katzndogz]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

In Colorado, there was no vote at all.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

We're a or rather, we were a Republic, not a Democracy

 

[jillian]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

Hillary has never led because of having super delegates.

that is false

 

[Stratford57]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

Americans have been already used to Washington criticizing Russia for just about everything. However elections in Russia are much more transparent and a situation, like the one we are witnessing with Trump, would never be possible in Russia:

The main difference between Presidential elections in the United States and Russia is the electoral college. The Presidential election in Russia is a direct vote by the people, while Americans elect their presidents through a unique method known as the electoral college.
Presidential Elections in the United States and Russia

1. In Russia every citizen’s vote matters equally way regardless of the area he (she) lives.
2. There are no middlemen ( an additional subject for fraud as we all are witnessing this year) between voters and their candidates.

May be it's time for USA to get rid of super delegates, whom one can't obviously trust anymore?

 

[tinydancer]

You know, I've always had a bit of a problem with the way elections are run here in America ever since I found out how the electoral college works, because you can have an entire state vote for one person, but if the electoral votes go to the other guy, the other guy wins.

Then, there was the election where Jr. basically stole FL and ended up in the White House. I thought that was a pretty bad day for the country.

Now? I'm finding out that not only does my vote not really count in the general election, but it doesn't really count in the primary election either. On the Democratic side, there have been a couple of times where Bernie Sanders had a majority of the popular vote, but because of the super delegates, Hillary may have lost the state in the vote, but she leads in delegates.

On the Republican side, Trump is screaming about the same thing. There have been times where Trump has won the popular vote, but Cruz ends up with the majority of the delegates.

I guess the days of "one man, one vote", and "majority rules" are over, because it now looks like both parties let their leadership choose who THEY want, and screw what the voters want.

Any ideas on how we can fix our democratic system?

I know that this primary season where there really have been battles waged on both sides of the aisle all the faults of the primary systems in place are glaring.

No consistency from state to state. Bizzarro rules like what we just witnessed in Colorado where a candidate won the delegates with out a vote of the people, Hillary racking up all the super delegates before the campaign started so Bernie has to play catch up hockey from the get go.

YIKES! And on the RNC side the ability to change the rules for the convention at the last minute like they did in 2012 with the candidate must have won 8 state rule that this year, if they remove that watch for a candidate to be parachuted in.

Talk is really hot on Paul Ryan. Can you imagine the fury of the voters? And the candidates? And all their volunteers? And their donors if the RNC gives the nomination to Ryan. Romney is still being tossed about, or a Kasich/Rubio ticket?

And that fury would be mightily justified.

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, I could see the value of the electoral college back in the day when it took 1 day to a week to travel to where they assembled and cast their vote. It made sense because not everyone could travel to the polling places.

Now? We have instantaneous communications and the internet, so it's not a problem for anyone to vote, even those who live way out in the boonies, because they could phone in or vote absentee if necessary.

Nope, it's gotten to the point where we need to update our election system. Especially when, as Stratford pointed out, Russia has a more transparent and more democratic election system than what we do.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I certainly don't think we are a white male democracy, and that is no skin off my nose.