The Electoral College… Old School?

Today we had our elections in our homeschool co-op.  There were two parties, the Flamingos and the Penguins.  (I actually think that is better than donkeys and elephants….)  Anyway, we’ve had campaign speeches, filmed commercials, made buttons and banners.  Today we all registered to vote and went to the polling station.  It was interesting because in the popular vote my son Keeve won, 4 to 7.  (Don’t ask the mother of two Presidential candidates who she voted for!)  Then the Flamingos and the Penguins took turns drawing the votes for the Electoral College by state.  The Flamingos were down more than 40 points toward the end… but then they pulled California.  So my older son, Austin, won the election by Electoral votes.

The experience was good for all of us…. “How did you feel winning the Popular vote, knowing that more of the people really supported you? and not the Electoral vote?”   and “How did YOU feel losing the Popular vote? and then winning the Electoral votes?”  We listened to a concession speech as well as an acceptance speech.  The victory party with pizza and brownies followed.

The whole shabang made me really question the Electoral College process.  Could our forefathers have known that the most populated states would be so blatantly liberal?  What is the point of voting if you know your state has a majority vote against your beliefs?  I realize that to change the process it would take a Constitutional amendment, but isn’t the popular vote more true to the people’s wishes?  Maybe I’m not understanding what the writers of the Constitution were trying to prevent or protect by establishing the Electoral College??? 

Please enlighten me.

Kids Even Got It Figured Out!

My nine year old son already has enough common sense to vote in a presidential election.  Here is his journal entry from school yesterday:

“What makes a great president is a president that cares for us unlike Obama would ’cause if he dosen’t care about (unborn) babies he wouldn’t care about us.  McCain is a good president.”

Yep, that about sums it up.

We’re studying the electoral process right now, as is only appropriate for this day and season.  We are having elections soon between two candidates from our homeschool group.  They are filming their campaign ads tomorrow.  Should be highly entertaining.  One of the slogans is “Vote Blond Not Brown.”  I suggested that this might not be a wise idea…. but what do I know?  The kids also still have to make ballots, the ballot box and the voting booth.  When all voting is completed next week, in turn they will be drawing the electoral votes out of a hat.  So we really won’t know who has won until the end…. just like the REAL election. 

Do your duty.  VOTE!