The Electoral College

Today, we were discussing the electoral college and realized we did not have alot of facts. So, I searched and found this amazing site: www.howstuffworks.com and they have a great section on the electoral college. A portion of their information is shown below as it best explains the process:

"Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. senators plus the number of its U.S. representatives. Currently, the Electoral College includes 538 electors, 535 for the total number of congressional members, and three who represent Washington, D.C., as allowed by the 23rd Amendment. On the Monday following the second Wednesday in December, the electors of each state meet in their respective state capitals to officially cast their votes for president and vice president. This year that day is Dec. 18. These votes are then sealed and sent to the president of the Senate, who on Jan. 6 opens and reads the votes in the presence of both houses of Congress. The winner is sworn into office at noon Jan. 20. Most of the time, electors cast their votes for the candidate who has received the most votes in that particular state. However, there have been times when electors have voted contrary to the people's decision, which is entirely legal."

So, this system, supposedly the check and balance for the votes by the people, can be out of whack. Colorado is voting on a measure to match the votes proportionally to the electoral college votes, making it effective for this election if it passes. Let's hope that we don't have a disaster again, due to the electoral college, and that Kerry wins, even if by a slight majority, but enough to make it a certain victory.