???As the presidential election approaches, we as students are inundated with slogans like "Vote or Die," "Rock the Vote," and "Every Vote Counts." These catchphrases are supposed to remind us just how important our vote is in this election. But some students feel it isn't as important as they would have us believe.
???"I don't like the idea of the Electoral College," said Doug Keddie, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. "It makes votes like mine meaningless."
???The Electoral College is the reason that some votes don't count. It has been around since the Constitution was written, and was revised when the 12th Amendment was created.
???"The purpose of the Electoral College is to ensure that the candidate with the largest popular vote in each state wins the presidency," said Ken Preston, a New York State elected delegate. "Each state is given a designated amount of delegates, who pledge a vote to a specific candidate based on their state's popular vote."
???Each state is given a number of electors equal to the amount of representatives they have in the United States House of Congress. The total amount of electors is 538, and a candidate must receive the majority of votes, totaling 270, to win the election. Whichever candidate wins the popular vote in a particular state is awarded all the electoral votes, with the exception of Nebraska and Maine, in which candidates can receive a percentage of electoral votes.
???"I don't know why we still use the Electoral College," Preston said. "It's true that it doesn't always get the popular winner, but in most cases it does."
???An example of the Electoral College not picking the most popular candidate came in 2000. Al Gore won the popular vote, but did not have the electoral votes to back it up, and therefore lost the election to George W. Bush.
???"If Al Gore would have won the country could be completely different," said Nicole Jeziorowzki, a sophomore business major. "We might not be in a war, which would mean less dead Americans."
???Preston also believes that if Gore had won, the last eight years of our country's history would be different. He thinks that we wouldn't be in a war, and that we would be constructively dealing with climate change.
???Because the U.S. uses the Electoral College system, elections often come down to swing states. A swing state is that in which no candidate has a clear lead over the other, and thus the state becomes a battleground for both candidates to win the votes.
???In recent years as well as this one, states like Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have become important swing states. That then gives these generally smaller states more voting power than larger ones like California or Texas. So in theory, it is really in these swing states that every vote truly does count.
It is because of this that some may become discouraged from voting this Election Day. Some may feel it is pointless to even bother, since their vote will most likely not make a difference.
???"It's doubtful that I'm going to vote this year," Keddie said. "New York is guaranteed to go to the Democrats."
???While this may be the sentiment of many, thankfully for candidates and workers trying to get out word for people to vote, it is not the feeling of all.
???"I will be voting in the election this year," said Alena Matuch, a freshman nursing major. "I see it as my civic duty."
