Theoretical Minority Rule, U.S. Pres. election, V.1

[Steve Eppley]

DEMOREP1 wrote:
>The general bias towards the small States is of course due to each
>State having 2 Senators (and 2 electoral votes) regardless of its
>number of voters for President. Thus, a minority of the grand total
>who live in the small states can control the election of President.

In practice, though, there's a bias by the candidates toward the
large states, as exemplified by Dole's focus on California.  

The small states' voters may be overrepresented--I'm not sure; I'd
have to analyze the academic argument that claims the reverse--but
the large states' voters are the ones pandered to by the candidates. 

I don't like the Electoral College, but for different reasons.  I 
think the two-party system it engenders stifles democracy.

---Steve     (Steve Eppley    seppley at alumni.caltech.edu)