Hot Mess’s Guide to Understanding the Election Process-Part 1

So I began this quest with: Hot Mess’s Guide to Understanding the Election Process-Intro

Here was my thought process when I voted for Government officials in my 20’s: 

“I like the sound of his name…..I’m going to vote for him.”

“He seems like a dick, I’m NOT voting for him.” 

“Surprisingly, this candidate is kinda’ hot, I am totally voting for him.” 

Thought process in my 30’s: 

“I have to vote for the school levy. Good for my kids, good for my property value.” 

“I don’t know anything about the candidate so I’m not voting for either one of them.”

This will be the election I go into knowing a little more. What I learned, I am going to put in “hot mess” terms and hope to have a little fun teaching it. Here it goes….

I was a little pissed to learn my vote may not be carried out for my chosen candidate. What I mean is when we vote for President, we kinda’ aren’t voting directly for the Presidential Candidate. We are voting for a person called an Elector.

Who are these Electors Hot Mess? Good question. Apparently it’s state elected officials (I could totally see this person’s name being Thurston or Howard the III), Party Leaders (no, not Paris Hilton), or peeps affiliated with the Presidential candidate.

What is the Elector’s job? Well, these little ass holes….sorry…inside voice. The Electors (Jesus, they kinda’ sound like a Hunger Game employee) are supposed to be more knowledgeable than us when it comes to the political process. They have the final say on if a vote will be cast for the candidate. Usually it is.

Personally, I get the feeling like the government is my mom and to “make me feel like I have choices”, they present us a red dress or a blue dress. There are no other options but you do have 2 options: the red or blue dress.

If the big wigs choose the Elector nominees, how do we the people vote for the Electors? And when do we vote for them?

The Elector voting occurs simultaneously during the Presidential voting. Based on which state you live in, this is how it appears on the ballot:

a. You won’t see the Electors names. Basically a vote for the Republican candidate equals a vote for the Reupublican’s Electors.

or

b. You will see the electors name(s) directly underneath the Presidential candidate and you vote for them.

Are these Electors part of a club? Yes, the Oprah book club. No silly, the club they are a part of is the Electoral College and actually the Electoral College is a process- the process I’m talking about above. It’s not a place. Sorry, this isn’t the YMCA.

In summary of the first Hot Mess Coarse on the Election Process, you know that the President isn’t decided on by each individual citizen, but by the Electors. Now that you know what an Elector is. I’ll post next about: the whole winner takes all things and how Maine and Nebraska are the EMO’s of the group by practicing the Congressional District Method (I just sounded like a doctor discussing various birth controls methods, didn’t I?).