One Vote

You see all the ads every four years that try to appeal to young adults - "Your Vote is Important! Go Vote!" But the sad truth is, the only election that has any major visibility is the presidential vote, and for us lucky Californians, our votes don't matter. California will vote for the Democratic candidate unless his depravity is so extreme that Bush pales in comparison. So will all the other "blue" states. In terms of electing a president, those extra votes are essentially useless, since as long as you have a majority you win the state. One person, one vote, not quite. This is a form of national gerrymandering seeded by our good friend the Electoral College. Regardless of whether the Democrats win by 2% or 20% California delivers the same number of votes. The same effect is created in a smaller scale when states redraw their districts - concentrate the Dems in a few districts, and the rest can run unopposed. The major difference nationally is that state borders don't change.

If politics were a wargame, and people could change residences at will, the Democrats could plan their own D(emocratic)-Day, with the invasion of Fortress Red. Move all those extra votes to swing states like Ohio and Florida. GOP copying your strategy? No sweat, forget Ohio and invade the stalwart Red states with your superior numbers.

But unfortunately, that's not life. So why not end the Electoral College system, which gives smaller states disproportionate power? California has a population over thirty times larger than that of Montana, but Montana receives 3 Electoral College votes, and California 52. Essentially, it's much more cost effective to win the smaller states since they have a smaller population to sway and each voter is worth more. An example: Joe Prez visits Montana to campaign. The Montanans were wary at first but grew to love his down-to-earth style and focus on values, and when election time comes they deliver their 3 votes to Joe Prez. Assuming he got 51% of the vote, this means ~450,000 people had to vote for him. It would be a different story if he went to California. That same 450,000 is now barely 1% of California's population, and probably wouldn't guarantee him shit since CA is not known for being a swing state.

Who knows...maybe in a few years the hardcore Dems in big states will be moving from state to state every 4 years and they'll win. Until then...good luck.