Eleven videos explain how we can improve presidential elections
Links to videos are provided here to provide a deeper understanding of the Electoral College and how Equal Voice Voting can be used to improve our presidential elections. Obviously, this is a different blog format than what I’ve used before. It does not relate to current news and, instead, looks at our presidential election history and what we can do to improve the process.
You can view the videos in any order but it’s best to view them in the order they are presented. See the Introduction video first and then take them in sequence.
Click on the video titles to view them.
EVV – Introduction
This is the first video in a series of eleven. It explains how the Equal Voice Voting (EVV) idea emerged. It tells of the principles involved in EVV’s formulation and the analysis made to prove its theory. The video also tells of the progress made for telling others of the idea and some of the success it has already experienced. The video explains what EVV provides and how the subsequent videos tell its story.
EVV 1 – Electoral College History
This is the second video in the series. It provides a discussion about the Electoral College history and the fundamental events leading up to the formation of the U.S. Constitution. It tells of the colonial delegates meeting in 1787 and of the challenges they faced. The video explains the structure of our nation’s government, some of the terms used, and how it led to the design of the Electoral College. It touches on some of the defects of the original Electoral College structure and how constitutional amendments corrected them.
EVV 2 – Electoral College Structure
This is the third video in the series and it explains some of the fundamental details about how the Electoral College is structured. While the voting process may seem to be simple, the video explains how popular votes are converted into electoral votes – a rather complex process. The video explains how electoral votes are used to represent both the voting citizenry as well as the individual, sovereign states. The Electoral College formula for determining the electoral votes for each state as well as for the nation is explained. Finally, the video tells of how the U.S. Constitution requires a candidate to win by a majority of electoral votes and how that differs from capturing a plurality of votes.
EVV 3 – Electoral College Purpose
This is the fourth video in the series. It tells of how the process of picking a president is not as simple as it might appear. It emphasizes that the voting process matters, too. The video points out that the U.S. Constitution was formulated to give representation to the voters, the sovereign states, and a way to provide checks and balances in the process. The video emphasizes the importance of the nation’s diversity in its regions and states and how an inclusive democracy embraces its wide expanse. Finally, the video also emphasizes that an effective voting process must be fair, equal, inclusive, and engaging. It ends with a reminder that the voting principles and the process used matter.
EVV 4 – Voting Disparities
This is the fifth video in the series and explains the mathematical inequalities of our national voting results due to the winner-takes-all (WTA) approach. It explains what we might expect when we compare the popular and electoral voting results and they do not coincide with our actual experience. The video reveals that the voting disparities experienced in the previous 15 presidential elections has been quite severe. Further, the video emphasizes how many of the presidential ballots are never converted by the Electoral College mechanism into electoral votes, leaving many voters disenfranchised from the presidential election process.
EVV 5 – Vote Suppression
This is the sixth video in the series. It addresses a very serious problem the nation experiences with every presidential election. Vote suppression is different from voter suppression. The latter restricts people from voting. The former restricts ballots already cast from being represented in the Electoral College. Noting that the winner-takes-all (WTA) approach is the reason for this disenfranchisement, the video shows how, for every presidential election, we suppress about 46% of the ballots cast. It further shows that such vote suppression and low voter turnout are the main reasons it takes three registered voters to elicit one viable presidential election ballot.
EVV 6 – Is the Electoral College Racist?
This is the seventh video in the series. It addresses the charge that the Electoral College is a racist mechanism. Noting the egregious racism our nation has endured, especially during the time when the country’s governance was formed, the video reveals how such racism affected early presidential elections. It tells of how a compromise was made by the northern colonies to allow the southern colonies to count slaves as 3/5ths of a person – a terribly racist position. The video continues by revealing how the 13th, 14th, and 15th U.S. Constitutional amendments removed some of those barriers. The video finishes by showing that the Electoral College, basically a mathematical process, is no more racist than is the nation’s White House, which was built by slaves. The Electoral College, having shed its early limitations, is not an attitude and does not afford a racist favoritism to any racial or ethnic group.
EVV 7 – Constitutional Amendments
This is the eighth video in the series and explains how the U.S. Constitution gets amended. It reveals how there have been 27 amendments already ratified but that doing so is not easy to do. It tells of how 2/3rds of the U.S. Congress must agree to the amendment as well as 3/4ths of the state legislatures. It explains that there have been over 800 attempts to amend the Constitution to modify or eliminate the Electoral College with no success. Some of the concerns have been over electors, the winner-takes-all approach, and proportional voting. The video closes by revealing that presidential election changes can be made on the state level as long as the U.S. Constitution is respected and the aforementioned election principles are adhered to.
EVV 8 – EVV Formula
This is the ninth video in the series and begins with a definition of EVV. It reveals how the Equal Voice Voting (EVV) formula works. It shows how the Popular Vote Value (PVV) factor ensures all votes matter. No ballots are discarded! The video graphically shows the Electoral College voting results of 2016 and what could have happened had EVV been used instead. The video also shows, building on the voting disparities video, how EVV, had it been used, would have significantly reduced voting disparities over the previous elections.
EVV 9 – National Popular Vote Interstate Compact
This is the tenth video in the series. It discusses the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, commonly referred to as NPV. The video defines what the idea proposes and its progress thus far. The video shows where most of the people reside in the United States. It explains that most of the campaign attention and funding would be in the more urban and densely populated areas. It shows what could have happened in 2016, had NPV been in place, and highlights how the NPV results can be misleading since it does not eliminate the Electoral College in its process. In fact, the video further explains, NPV is a ridiculous, radical, and dangerous idea. The weaknesses of the idea are highlighted showing that NPV is not a positive alternative to our current presidential election system.
EVV 10 – Next Steps
This is the last video in the series and begins with an emphasis on our current reality. It’s not plausible that the U.S. Constitution will be amended anytime soon in regards to the Electoral College. Equal Voice Voting can remedy the election problems on a state-by-state basis as it adheres to the principles of all votes must matter, all states must be heard, checks and balances must be in place, and that the elections must be fair, equal, inclusive, and engaging. The first step is to become aware of the EVV possibilities and then, the second step, share the idea with others. Finally, state legislators are to be encouraged to enact legislation in support of EVV.
Click here to check out other Equal Voice Voting Blogs!
Click here to review the Equal Voice Voting formula.
Click here to view the EVV videos.
Please share this blog with others!
By Jerry Spriggs and the Equal Voice Voting Team