All Votes Matter!
The Electoral College always fails to deliver voting results that reflect the actual will of the people because so many voters are disenfranchised. Their ballots are not represented in the Electoral College. All Votes Matter! reveals the source of the failure and what can be done to remedy the situation. The remedy, called Equal Voice Voting (EVV), retains the proportional voting process set forth in the Electoral College. It ends the voting disenfranchisement (vote suppression) experienced in every presidential election which sets aside tens of millions of ballots without representation (almost 69 million votes were not represented in the Electoral College in 2020, for example).
EVV, a politically nonpartisan approach, ensures every vote affects the election result and every viable candidate gains representation. The U.S. Constitution is honored, states retain their independent sovereignty within our republic, and the voting process checks and balances are retained – just as the Founding Fathers intended.
All Votes Matter! provides a historical look at the Electoral College, examines its basic principles, and provides the results of an in-depth analysis of the previous 16 presidential elections (1960 – 2020) to prove EVV’s validity. It shows that the state-by-state voting results over those 16 elections would have closely adhered to the popular voting results if EVV had been used. A comparison is made of EVV to a direct nationwide popular voting approach and the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), both promoted by others. All Votes Matter! shows how both solutions, though popular, would fail to serve our nation well while EVV would successfully capture the voting voice of the people.
All Votes Matter! shows how the Equal Voice Voting remedy can be realized without requiring a U.S. Constitutional amendment nor an interstate compact. The book emphasizes how vital the voice of the people (our votes) is to our democracy and how we can secure a fairer and more equal voting representation in our presidential elections. All Votes Matter! encourages all of us to become engaged in presidential election reform to truly help preserve our democracy.
ENDORSEMENTS
To citizens only vaguely aware that the United States is a federated republic, the Electoral College is a relic of a by gone era that needs to be jettisoned so that whoever receives the most popular votes throughout the country is elected President. Jerry Spriggs’s deep and thoughtful analysis brings both a historical perspective and a contemporary reality to show the founders wisdom in the creation of the College; how the state based “winner take all” voting system, entrenched in all of our states, has corrupted the role of the College by disenfranchising the votes of millions of citizens; masking how truly close our electorate is divided; discourages voters in a state where they are in the minority party to even participate in elections; and decreases the chances of compromise. Jerry rightly points out that any attempt to amend the Constitution to eliminate the College is not a realistic proposition. But he shows how states can, through state legislative action or citizen initiative, replace their “winner take all” system which would allow the College to operate as it was intended to do.
Anyone concerned about improving America’s voting process should find Jerry’s book a refreshing read. He brings his considerable talents as a self-described geeky mathematician and game creator to a field dominated by lawyers, political scientists, politicians, and academics. His is a fresh voice, a balanced scientific approach, and an easy read. Jerry is the epitome of the informed citizen that the founder’s said America will always need if the union of states is be perfected.
Jim Mattis, JD; served as President of the Oregon Law Institute;
Assistant Attorney General, Oregon Dept. of Justice;
Legal Consultant, Bureau of Governmental Research & Services, University of Oregon
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Controversy swirls around the Electoral college. Twice in the last generation it has awarded the Presidency to a candidate with a minority of the popular vote. Strong voices call for it to be reconstructed. Is it obsolete? Is it fair? Should the rules be updated? What are the facts? What are the options? This well researched book is a ‘must read’ for anyone seriously interested in electoral reform. Jerry Spriggs concisely summarizes the issues surrounding the Electoral College, suggests a positive way forward and marshals substantial factual analysis to support his argument.
Gerald Brown, PhD, former Director, L.P. Cookingham Institute of Public Affairs, School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City
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Presidential election mechanics – It’s important to understand how we got here from there. Why did our founders think we needed the Electoral College? What does it mean to have a “fair” election? Why doesn’t your vote matter? How can we change that? What can we do to end our quadrennial chaos and Presidential election disfunction?
These are the issues explored and questions answered by Jerry Spriggs in this powerful book about one of the most misunderstood and divisive aspects of our American Democracy.
If you take the time to read his clear and succinct explanation of the evolution of our election process, you will be surprised to learn everything you think you know about the Electoral College is wrong: Why you think it’s unnecessary is wrong – Why you think it can’t be made to work is wrong – Why you think it can’t be changed to be more inclusive, fair and more democratic is wrong.
If you read and understand how the author suggests we change the counting of electoral votes, you will see the value and simplicity of his recommended way we can make the electoral process more inclusive and more valuable for our country.
This book is about making all votes matter! Spriggs explains how, despite the fact that you actually cast a vote, your vote may be irrelevant to the outcome. That’s what divides us. That’s the reason for voter apathy. And that’s his point – the system has to work for everyone! Spriggs shows how we can still use the brilliant structure crated by our founders, but adjust the tally process to ensure all votes matter. His concept mitigates against the tyranny of the majority and brings us closer to consensus on who we think will be our best leader.
William H. Denney, Ph.D., ASQ Fellow, Organizational Excellence Assessor, International Consultant