Why do the states get to make up the rules for federal elections?

[Seeinghope]

Each state according to it's own parties leaning can set up the rules under which the Federal elections are decided. This does not make for an equal playing field as we have seen. Let the states do what they want in their own state elections but leave the federal elections to be handled federally. One standard way for all of the states. We are electing a President for all of the States or make the presidential elections guided by one set of standards for all of the states. Playing with elections like this is totally out of date and insane for this country. We have yet to become "United"

[brooklynite]

1. We're not having a Federal election

We're having a Party nomination process.

[all american girl]

2. And this might be some of the problem...not understanding

[Seeinghope]

3. Which leads to the federal election. It should be under the umbrella since it a step in the process

[brooklynite]

8. No, it shouldn't...

Parties are independent groups; they should be able to selct the candidates they put up in whTever form they wNt to. If you disagree with their approaches, you can join another Party or form your own.

[Trenzalore]

10. If the Democratic Party wanted to hold a raffle to determine the nominee

It would be perfectly legal. The party is not a part of the government. It is a private organization which can legally select any method it wants.

[Retrograde]

20. Can the GOP do that? I doubt they'd end up with worse candidates

But, yeah, the US Constitution has nothing to say about parties, and the sections where it does talk about voting refer only to federal election. Otherwise, the states can pretty much do what they want.

I once voted in California in an election limited to property owners. And that was in this century. Some people complained, but it was deemed to be legal.

[onehandle]

7. Details, details. nt

[workinclasszero]

15. They always miss that part

Funny SMH

[leftynyc]

4. Take it up with the tenth amendment

Even the general isn't one election - it's 50 separate elections.

[Seeinghope]

5. So there are 50 different ways to screw with it.

[leftynyc]

9. Yes

But it's been this way for over 200 years. Why are you upset about it now?

[Seeinghope]

17. Because I am tired of screwed up elections. What may have worked 200 years ago is not working now

now. 200 years ago people travelled by horse or train. We have obviously moved beyond that so should we these archaic election proceedings. The primaries need to be standardised to create a more level playing field thruout the country. Reforms and restructuring are also needed. We no longer have pony express. We have computers. We don't just have word of mouth and news papers, we have the Internet and television. It is time to modernise elections as well. We should know what we can improve on after 200 years, don't you think?

[displacedtexan]

21. Who's going to pay for your new voting system when the parties no longer foot the bills?

You?

Please do some research or ask a high school American Government teacher to explain the process to you.

[Seeinghope]

22. Public Finance

[COLGATE4]

26. Bernie's answer for everything. But remember, Public

Finance = more taxes

[Seeinghope]

23. The political parties have become too dirty!

[CajunBlazer]

29. Then start your own party - but please quit bitching about...

... something that isn't going to change and something you did care about until you decided it didn't benefit your candidate.

[geek tragedy]

6. because technically the states pick the president, not the people directly nt

[MineralMan]

11. There are no federal elections. None.

The presidential election simply selects the apportionment of electors from the individual states who make up the Electoral College. Further, primary elections are for political parties and exist only to help them select candidates for President.

All elections are controlled by the states or local jurisdictions. In most states, the actual elections are staged by individual counties, although they are controlled by state officials.

See, this is the problem we have in the United States. Most voters do not understand how it all works in the first place, so they are often confused.

There are no federal elections in this country. Not one.

[CajunBlazer]

30. It's not their fault - they slept thorugh Civics class

[nemo137]

12. Because federalism is bullshit

We have a constitution that imperfectly divides power between the federal government and the states, and leaves the states in charge of what should be basic provision of services, in a way that's often harmful to people living in them, and also puts up almost-insurmountable barriers to changing any of that.

We don't have truly federal elections, we have state elections in which votes are cast for federal offices. And that's not even getting in to the switch over the past 50 or so years to the major parties using primaries to choose candidates for the actual general election.

It's a shitshow in good years, in years where tensions are running high it's a nightmare.

[Codeine]

13. What's a "federal election"?

ProTip: no such beastie.

[Seeinghope]

18. The presidency should be a federal election.

[Codeine]

19. And I "should be" married to Amanda Palmer,

but reality says Neil Gaiman beat me to it. "Should be" carries very little water when reality comes knocking.

[brooklynite]

24. Let's look at the ol' Constitution

Article II
Section 1.

The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows:

Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Blame the men who wrote the Constitution on this

serious

[JustAnotherGen]

14. I'm voting for a lot more on June 6th

Than just a nominee for the Democratic Party.

We have state, township, school board - a LOT on our roster.


And seriously - I can have more impact in the town than in Fed Gov which very often is just in the way of progress.

The little Presidential election pales in comparison to what we have to battle against with Governor Doughboy for the next year. It's not ALL about Sanders and Clinton.

[Maedhros]

16. We are running Democracy 1.27, and we pretty much stopped patching it.

An upgrade would be nice.

[Gwhittey]

31. Hell our whole system is flawed

Why we even have Senate anymore is stupid. When Founding Fathers setup the Federal Government they had in mind a small body that would basically handle only Foreign Policy and Trade between states. Today's Fed is more powerful that to me it seems stupid that a state like Wyoming has same power in Senate as CA does. Wyoming has 582,658 that is about size of Long Beach, CA and yet the people in Wyoming have same voting power of 38 million people.

[Maedhros]

32. Proportional representation is the way forward. [n/t]

[basselope]

25. There is no such thing as a federal election.

It is the biggest flaw in Bush v Gore and why the case should have been thrown out for lack of standing.

ALL elections are state elections. The state should have ultimate say UNLESS you are dealing with discrimination.

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Civics 101

we are holding state elections... not a federal election, Why we are called a FEDERAL SYSTEM.

Granted, the FEC could be given a few more teeth, but don't count on it.

This also happens in November by the way. (And it is maddening by the way)