Last visit was: It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:01 pm


All times are UTC-05:00




Post new topic Reply to topic  [28 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:16 pm 
User avatar
 

Joined:Sat Jun 03, 2006 3:51 am
Posts:1186
Website:http://griffinhart.livejournal.com/
Yahoo Messenger:Squall591
AOL:FinalWarrior591
Location:Look at my horse, my horse is amazing!
Quote:
Your vote does matter, as state low dictates that the members of the electoral college must vote whichever direction the popular vote went.
Did you pay attention at all to the 2000 election? The one where Al Gore won the popular but lost the electoral? If the electoral votes went the way the popular vote did, then 2000-2004 would have been slightly different.

The problem with the electoral college is that, while in theory the votes should go the way the popular does, it practice it doesn't. AFAIK, there is absolutely no incentive for an electoral voter to vote the same way as their constituents, and no punishment for an electoral voter who votes against his/her constituents. So really, it's an honor system, and honor systems don't work when it comes to politicians (also lawyers).

So no, state law doesn't dictate that the members of the electoral college must vote whichever direction the popular vote went (at least, there's no state law that I know of that dictates that, and not all states have the same state laws).

-- Griffinhart

PS. And the 2000 election wasn't the only one where someone won the popular but lost the electoral. You should've learned all this back in your US History and Government classes. :P

_________________
"My word is my honor. My honor is my life."
-- Demonchild, Angelkin, the Blackest Seraph, the Final Warrior

Image


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:39 pm 
Organ Donor
User avatar
 

Joined:Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:47 pm
Posts:529
Location:Jawjuh
Quote:
Quote:
Your vote does matter, as state low dictates that the members of the electoral college must vote whichever direction the popular vote went.
Did you pay attention at all to the 2000 election? The one where Al Gore won the popular but lost the electoral? If the electoral votes went the way the popular vote did, then 2000-2004 would have been slightly different.
Well, not exactly. The electoral votes are an all-or-nothing basis, which tends to screw things up. Also, they are not entirely evenly distributed across the population; there's a minimum number of electoral votes a state can have, regardless of the population.
So if the entirety of the tiny states voted red, and if 49% of the population every multiple-vote red state was voting blue, there could still be more popular votes for blue even though red won the electoral.

Did that make sense? :?

_________________
Creative people must be stopped! (Latest Entry 7/31/11: "Fishsticks (18+))

Pleasantville by Night, a humorous horror web RPG


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:45 pm 
Literally Nine
User avatar
 

Joined:Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:31 pm
Posts:1171
Location:The vicinity of an area adjacent to a location.
Quote:
The electoral votes are an all-or-nothing basis, which tends to screw things up.
The "winner take all" rule is a matter of state law. It is not required by the U.S. constitution. In fact, Maine and Nebraska have changed to a proportional system for allocating their electoral college votes.

_________________
- Tycho

Image


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:11 pm 
Literally Nine
User avatar
 

Joined:Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:00 am
Posts:1263
By the way, for those wondering, the number of electoral votes a state gets is based on the legislator.

Senate seats (always 2) plus Members of the House.

If your seat holds 7 seats, you have 9 electoral votes. If the electoral college fails (in a two party system, this can only happen via a tie), the house and senate would vote.

I think that's the case, anyway.


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:20 pm 
Organ Donor
User avatar
 

Joined:Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:47 pm
Posts:529
Location:Jawjuh
Quote:
Quote:
The electoral votes are an all-or-nothing basis, which tends to screw things up.
The "winner take all" rule is a matter of state law. It is not required by the U.S. constitution. In fact, Maine and Nebraska have changed to a proportional system for allocating their electoral college votes.
OK, yeah, I was gonna mention that some don't do it, but decided not to because that'd only make my too-complicated post even more complicated. But whatever.
For the most part the states do winner-take-all, which enables situations like the one I described.

_________________
Creative people must be stopped! (Latest Entry 7/31/11: "Fishsticks (18+))

Pleasantville by Night, a humorous horror web RPG


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:43 pm 
User avatar
 

Joined:Sat Jun 03, 2006 3:51 am
Posts:1186
Website:http://griffinhart.livejournal.com/
Yahoo Messenger:Squall591
AOL:FinalWarrior591
Location:Look at my horse, my horse is amazing!
And one of the reasons why the electoral college is broken is because of that "winner-take-all" system. Proportional votes would work so much better. 'Course, the federal government won't make a law on this because the states prefer their autonomy.

-- Griffinhart

_________________
"My word is my honor. My honor is my life."
-- Demonchild, Angelkin, the Blackest Seraph, the Final Warrior

Image


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:57 pm 
Organ Donor
User avatar
 

Joined:Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:47 pm
Posts:529
Location:Jawjuh
Quote:
And one of the reasons why the electoral college is broken is because of that "winner-take-all" system. Proportional votes would work so much better. 'Course, the federal government won't make a law on this because the states prefer their autonomy.

-- Griffinhart
Also it threatens the superiority of the Two. Shockhorror, imagine if a 3rd party candidate actually managed to get an electoral vote. People might start thinking they could win!

_________________
Creative people must be stopped! (Latest Entry 7/31/11: "Fishsticks (18+))

Pleasantville by Night, a humorous horror web RPG


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Mon Nov 10, 2008 9:34 am 
Literally Nine
User avatar
 

Joined:Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:00 am
Posts:1263
Most states wouldn't do it anyway. If it's a typically blue state, then they wouldn't want to give up electoral votes for the GOP. Likewise, if it's a typically red state, then they wouldn't want to give up electoral votes for the Democratic party.

It's a lot less against third parties, and more looking out for number one. The block of the third party candidates is just an added bonus.


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:36 am 
User avatar
 

Joined:Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:37 am
Posts:30
Yahoo Messenger:Frostysbite
Location:Does it matter?
>.< it must be later than i thought for me to find a serious topic here.. anyways onto my opinion. I think that the age bar for presidency should be raised, to reflect the increase in life expectancy. Perhaps to around the age of 40... this coming out of the mouth of someone who's still "Technically a teenager". Anyway my humble opinion.

_________________
Image


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:16 am 
Literally Nine
User avatar
 

Joined:Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:00 am
Posts:1263
Considering that the youngest person to become president (T. Roosevelt) was 42, I don't think you have much to worry over :3


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:18 pm 
Organ Donor
User avatar
 

Joined:Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:47 pm
Posts:529
Location:Jawjuh
To raise the age requirement they'd have to amend the Constitution, which is pretty hard. Going through the whole process of amending the entire Constitution just to add another 5 years to the age requirement seems like a waste of time.

_________________
Creative people must be stopped! (Latest Entry 7/31/11: "Fishsticks (18+))

Pleasantville by Night, a humorous horror web RPG


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:43 pm 
User avatar
 

Joined:Tue Mar 25, 2008 2:37 am
Posts:30
Yahoo Messenger:Frostysbite
Location:Does it matter?
Quote:
To raise the age requirement they'd have to amend the Constitution, which is pretty hard. Going through the whole process of amending the entire Constitution just to add another 5 years to the age requirement seems like a waste of time.
Wasn't the question not about wither it was possible but rather if it should be done, or rather what our opinion was?
Edit: OK so i'm apparently not all here. the question wasn't about opinion but about why there was an age requirement at all...

_________________
Image


Top
Offline  
 Post subject:Re: Why is there an age requirement to be President?
PostPosted:Thu Jan 01, 2009 1:35 am 
 

Joined:Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:48 pm
Posts:91
Website:http://master2004134.profusehost.net
Location:Somewhere on the Net........
I think Miah answered that question...imagine an 18 year old with all the power of the nation. A bit overwhelming, don't you think? I agree with the age requirement, as most people by that age have completed their education and contributed something to their own communities.


Top
Offline  
Display posts from previous: Sort by 
Post new topic Reply to topic

All times are UTC-05:00


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 34 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Theme created by Miah with assistance from hyprnova