I try to avoid posting about politics on social media. It’s often a very divisive topic, and at this point – after an Presidential election campaign that basically kicked off immediately after US election night back in 2020 – many people are just flat out exhausted about the whole thing.
Let’s start by saying that the way that the whole electoral system in the US works is absolutely bonkers, especially with regard to the US Senate and Office of the President. With the US Senate, the way that every single state gets two senators, regardless of the population within that state, is crazy. This gives the lowest populated state (Wyoming) equal voice to the most populated state (California). As the US Senate is responsible for confirming federal appointments, including the judiciary, this can result in some absolutely lop-sided representation.
Then with the way that the Presidential elections are determined, the Electoral College, we’ve seen in previous years (and always when Republican candidates have ultimately won) that a candidate can win even if the majority of the vote goes to the other candidate. It’s crazy that someone with less votes than the other ends up winning.
Let’s also state that the two party system in the US is also pretty crazy. Where I am in Canada we have four major parties, the Green party, and some independents. (While the Green party is well recognized, I’m going by the official definition that a political party in Canada must have at least 12 elected members in the House of Commons to be a ‘recognized party’). In the UK it’s basically three parties. I can’t speak to other countries, as I’m not familiar with their systems.
Multiple parties can result in some interesting scenarios, especially when the ruling party does not have a majority of members (ie, half the total number of house seats available plus one). That’s the situation we have right now, and it – for a while – gave a situation where the NDP gave support to the ruling Liberals on the proviso that certain pieces of their agenda were brought into law. This brings something that these days we rarely see in political systems; compromise. Really, this is how things should work. Rather than just straight up opposing whatever the ruling party is doing, trying to get the parts that are most objectionable changed or watered down, until it’s something that they can live with.
With a two party system, you don’t get that. Instead we maybe see more ‘riders’ that get attached to proposed bills to try and buy support from people in your own party that don’t want to support the bill, while the opposition just flat out don’t want to engage in any compromise at all. That kind of action has especially hurt the Republican party in recent years as a vocal group within the House have managed to oust their own Speaker of the House just because he actually deigned to compromise with the Democrats.
But back to the 2024 election, and lets start with the Presidential campaign. This has been flat out ugly. We thought that we saw ugly back in 2016 when Trump first ran, and then we saw it get worse in 2020, but this time around has surpassed that. The level of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny he has brought to his campaign would have been disqualifying to any other candidate. But here we have millions of people who are willing to put their support behind a convicted felon, something that would have utterly ended the candidacy of anyone else.
This campaign, for the reasons above, should not be this close either. It’s utterly crazy that it is. I really find it hard to believe that potentially over 74 million people could be voting for Trump (assuming we see numbers comparable to the 2020 election) considering all the things that he’s done and said. I have to believe that most of these people are those who would vote Republican because that’s what they always vote, come Hell or high water.
Unfortunately, I think there is little we can do to change the minds of these people. Any hope to do so is likely lost due to the agenda of Fox News, who day after day push propaganda to show how evil and misguided the ‘radical left Democrats’ are. (Radical left? Really, anywhere else in the world, Democrats are still a few steps to the right of centre, unwilling to really step over that centre line)
So really, any plea I have here is to those US citizens who aren’t planning to vote, because they’re either too bored or disillusioned with the system, or think that it won’t matter.
Every vote must count. Your vote can make a difference. For example, in the recent Provincial Elections in British Columbia, there are some ridings which have been decided by as little as 92 votes.
So tomorrow, regardless of what state you’re in – safe Blue state or battleground – get out, get in line, cast your vote. Get a provisional ballot if you need to. Don’t be told “no, you’re too late”.
Make the difference.
