What If the Whole World Could Vote?
The U.S. is one of the most powerful countries in the world, so it’s not surprising that there are lots of non-Americans who share our intense interest in the U.S. presidential election. The Economist is giving them a voice through a nifty web-based global version of the U.S. Electoral College.
The fact that the Economist is doing this speaks to the world impact of our government — an interesting point in view of the almost universal “U.S.-bashing” over the past eight years. It also underscores the financial magazine's recognition of the importance of its nearly 700,000 U.S. subscribers and the need for continued growth here.
In an interview with Ad Age, the Economist’s Ron Diorio is quoted as saying, “We're trying to recognize that the U.S. has a significant role in the world's economy and politics and offer people a way to get a little bit off their chest.”
The authentic U.S. Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors, the equivalent of the total membership of both Houses of Congress (435 Representatives and 100 Senators) plus 3 electors allocated to Washington, DC. Each state has as many electors as it has Representatives and Senators in Congress. Since the most populous states have the most seats in the House, they also have the most electors.
The Economist’s version gives 195 of the world's countries — including, of course, the U.S. — a say in the election, by allocating a minimum of three electoral-college votes to each, plus one vote for every 700,000 citizens in the country. For example, China, with a population of more than 1 billion, has 1,900 votes; the Bahamas has 3. The U.S. has been allocated 432 votes out of the 9,875 vote total.
Voting in the Economist's Global Electoral College will close at midnight London time on November 1, when the candidate with most votes will be declared the winner.
Technorati Tags: U.S. presidential election, Economist, U.S. Electoral College, U.S.-bashing, Ad Age, Ron Diorio, Congress, Global Electoral College, business, communications, public relations
The fact that the Economist is doing this speaks to the world impact of our government — an interesting point in view of the almost universal “U.S.-bashing” over the past eight years. It also underscores the financial magazine's recognition of the importance of its nearly 700,000 U.S. subscribers and the need for continued growth here.
In an interview with Ad Age, the Economist’s Ron Diorio is quoted as saying, “We're trying to recognize that the U.S. has a significant role in the world's economy and politics and offer people a way to get a little bit off their chest.”
The authentic U.S. Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors, the equivalent of the total membership of both Houses of Congress (435 Representatives and 100 Senators) plus 3 electors allocated to Washington, DC. Each state has as many electors as it has Representatives and Senators in Congress. Since the most populous states have the most seats in the House, they also have the most electors.
The Economist’s version gives 195 of the world's countries — including, of course, the U.S. — a say in the election, by allocating a minimum of three electoral-college votes to each, plus one vote for every 700,000 citizens in the country. For example, China, with a population of more than 1 billion, has 1,900 votes; the Bahamas has 3. The U.S. has been allocated 432 votes out of the 9,875 vote total.
Voting in the Economist's Global Electoral College will close at midnight London time on November 1, when the candidate with most votes will be declared the winner.
Technorati Tags: U.S. presidential election, Economist, U.S. Electoral College, U.S.-bashing, Ad Age, Ron Diorio, Congress, Global Electoral College, business, communications, public relations
posted by Ken Makovsky at 9:41 AM
1 Comments:
As mentioned, glad to see that you picked up on this Economist initiative. Of course, there are those anti-intellectuals in the right wing who want to trample over everybody else and don't care what our image is abroad. Obama, last time I looked and not recently, was slaughtering McCain in this survey.
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