Election 2008

Elation, pride, and pure relief are the feelings that have been coursing through my body for the past two days. Eleven o’clock tolled and I was relieved that I would not have to move away from a country that I would be ashamed of for yet another four years. The Electoral College was in accord with the plebiscite vote and my fear of the outcome was quelled. Barak Obama was chosen both by the electors and the people to be the Forty-Forth President of the United States of America. Simply put, this night gave me the chance to be both part of and perform a participant observation. A multitude of people held their breaths while the Electoral College went to work on the big screen projector displayed directly in front of us.

I asked a friend while watching the election, “Do you know what 270 means?”
She replied, “Not really, but I know they need it to win.”

I asked another friend these questions:
“Do you think your vote counts toward who is elected?”
“In theory yes, but in actuality, no.”
“Do you think a popular vote would be better for electing the president and why?”
“No because generally views and party affiliation goes by areas of the country. Just because one area of the country is more populated doesn’t mean they should have more of a say in who’s elected. That is what the Electoral College was put in place.”

These few questions show how much some voters know, or do not know, about the election process in the country. Many of the people I was around that night did not know the significance of 270. Yes the group was all college students, many of whom had voted for the first time, but the media does not really try to explain the significance either. The bar graph climbing the Empire State Building simply said, “270 Needed to Win.” It is not explained that the vote in the Electoral College is the only majority vote in the country and that 270 votes constitute a majority of the College. I felt the media makes the election seem like a game not a process. People understand that they vote and votes are tallied per state usually with the winner-takes-all policy concerning electoral votes, but most do not know those votes are people. It is up to those individuals chosen as electors who vote for president taking into consideration the will of the people. There are steps between the public and the government that help choose the future president; it is a process.

The second person I talked with realized this and gave an insightful response to my third question. She was concerned, just as the Founding Fathers were, with a states power and influence in the election if it went to a popular vote. She realizes that there should be an attempt to make each state or section of the country equal in voting strength. The Electoral College was created to do that, and at least for this election, the whole country felt very strongly for one candidate. The popular vote for Obama was greater than McCain, and Obama received the majority of Electoral Votes. For this election things have worked out well.

Here is Obama's Speech from the night. AMAZING.