2004 Column Archives
Election Pro and Cons
By John Sammon
Oct 31, 2004, 09:21

On the eve of another election, I feel compelled to list some of the attributes and shortcomings of the democratic process.

It’s no accident of fate that the election this time comes a mere two days after Halloween, very fitting, because the end result can truly be scary. I’ve got a passport updated and an airline ticket for Costa Rica just in case.

Some have expressed doubt in the wisdom of the public to choose, such as Alexander Hamilton, who said, “the public? The public’s an ass!”

Nevertheless, it is still, imperfect as it is, the best lousy way to pick leaders.

First of all, elections give you the chance to glimpse (for 2.5 minutes before they go into the voting booth) neighbors you’ve never met who live just five hundred yards from your house, and whom you will not see again for another four years. Some of these people you don’t want to know, so it can be a pro or con depending.

The Electoral College is the centerpiece lightning rod of controversy. A group of specially designated “electors” choose the president and vice president, separate from the popular public vote. Each state has a number of electors chosen on Election Day based on the number of congressional representatives each state has in Washington (the more people in your state, the more representatives).

Usually, when you vote for Kerry or Bush, a number of “electors” you have not picked individually come along with that candidate (chosen earlier at state political party conventions). In other words, you chose them (electors) by association, but you didn’t really choose them personally.

You chose them (electors), when they (states) chose them (electors).

There was no sign at the post office that read, “Vote for Harvey Smedlap for elector.”

To win the presidency, you have to get a majority of electors---270. Like the last election, it’s possible to get the most votes and still lose because you didn’t get a majority of electors in your camp.

Our Congress designed this way of doing it because they wanted a safeguard, or in other words, knew enough about the intelligence of your average Joe not to trust him to pick right. I know if somebody voted for me, I wouldn’t trust his intelligence either.

If nothing else, the Electoral College (which isn’t a college) is a wild card that makes the election more uncertain and thus more entertaining----a pro.

Most people seldom study their sample ballot mailed to them a week prior, and so are totally ignorant of the myriad of local issues and candidates. Measure G is the upgrade to your sewer line (more important than the president), but you never heard about it until it appeared as a brief description on your ballot in the voting booth----a con.

Thus, you make a momentous decision based on information provided by four lines of type---a con.

As a result, the crooked real estate dealer who’s trying to despoil your town and enrich himself with an eyesore development that lacks both adequate water and traffic access has a good chance to succeed because the ballot simply stated that he’s a “Republican” (good enough for you), and a former “police officer” (he’s for law and order so I’ll vote for him).

Another con.

But finally, there’s the good feeling you have when you leave your polling place with the little stub that reads, “I voted.” Ignorant or not, you took the time to participate in the process---a pro.

This might also be a good time to judge how much job freedom you have. If you voted at 2 p.m. before the rush, you have a lot of freedom (or you left the office claiming to be sick). If you voted at 6:30 p.m., your work is more restrictive---a con.