I don't understand! Doesn't the electoral college collect our votes in voting booths from across the nation. From there each state counts the vote to see which of the two parties has the most votes to add the points together to determine who will be the next president?

I know Susan B. Anthony fought for women's rights to vote. I think it is Amendment 19 or 23. I would have to go look to see which one it is.

So if I understand correctly...the government doesn't need the votes for "we the people" don't actually vote for the president? I find that hard to believe because why so much promotion on television, radio, internet asking for our vote in the first place. Explain for me please. Thank you.

Each state has their own rules regarding how the electoral votes are cast. Some have all electoral votes cast for the winner of the state. There is at least one that splits it's votes. Not sure exactly how. But the states are the ones that vote for the president, not the people.

Technically, the votes cast by the people is only a recommendation. Depending on the state laws, some of the electoral represetatives could ignore what the people want and cast their own vote. There of course would be an uproar if they did hat though. But that is a representative government.

Does this mean in the end that the votes from our Congress represenatives is all that is needed to determine our next President?

This means that the votes by the people is just to show Congress on what or how the people feel about who should become the President, but they could just disregard all the votes if they wanted to. Wow what a waste of money right if this is the case?

This is all new to me! I really thought when I vote it is an important cause to our Democracy! I really thought that my vote means something here. lol The media sure makes it look like this on television when you wait for the results of who won the presidency.

No, each state has different laws that govern how they vote for president. I know there are quite a few states that have laws stating all electoral votes go to the person chosen by the people of the state. I am fairly sure that no state has their electoral votes cast by their members of congress. Could be wrong on that though...

Each state is different as is their right as states. We are the United STATES. Not the FEDERATION of states. I am waiting for the day for a state to secede from the Union. (Texas) Love Texas btw!

no greeneye, the number of electors in the electoral college from each state are determined by the number of congressmen, two senators and however many house perpresentatives, from that state. but the congressmen themselves cannot be electors. from article two, section one:

"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."

it's interesting to note how the census was to be counted to determine how many congressmen would represent each state in the original constitution before the fourteenth amendment. article one stipulated that slaves would be counted as 3/5 human.

mylife got it right but i'll add that though the 15th, 19th and 26th amendments say that the right to vote cannot be denied becaus of race, sex or to people below age eighteen, nothing in the constitution actually gives anybody a right to vote as a citizen. in fact the constitution is not about giving us rights, it's all about protecting certain inalienable rights that we are all born with from government intervention. look at the first words of the first amendment, "congress shall make no law............." and goes on to list our right to worship, speak, assemble, etc., that the government must not tamper with.