CGP Grey explains the math behind the US electoral college

November 21, 2019 5:22 AM

CGP Grey's videos are often fast-paced and full of detail. His recent video on the US electoral college is no exception. But this time, in a bonus 'footnote' video, he spends 43 minutes walking through the spreadsheet that he created to make the video in the first place.
posted by carter (8 comments total)

Here's more about the “NaPoVoInterCo,” including its current status state-by-state.
posted by D.Billy at 6:04 AM on November 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

CGP Grey is great -- I share his video on First Past the Post Voting at least once a month.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:44 AM on November 21, 2019 [6 favorites]

And the follow-up video on The Alternative Vote system.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:53 AM on November 21, 2019 [4 favorites]

(If like me you hate watching video just to learn what someone is talking about... Grey is explaining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, the effort to replace the electoral college with what amounts to a nationwide popular vote count.)
posted by Nelson at 7:50 AM on November 21, 2019 [7 favorites]

The video on the spreadsheet is really great. It also makes it obvious that, on the assumption that every state will have at least a set in congress, it would take significantly more seats in congress for the system to yield a fair assignment of electoral votes (the method tries to calculate he fairest possible outcome, but it is always truncated before it can get the optimal result).
posted by fmoralesc at 9:28 AM on November 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

I don't think the idea that the person who gets the most votes should win is sneaky. That's how every other election in America works.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:25 PM on November 21, 2019 [6 favorites]

Yeah, what's sneaky is acting like the Founding Fathers thought the people* were anything other than a basket of deplorables.

* Non-white, non-male, non-property-owning people, natch.
posted by basalganglia at 3:31 PM on November 21, 2019 [3 favorites]

Neither party selects their nominee based on popular vote. The primary/caucus system is basically a version of the electoral college. Make that change first before changing the general election process.
posted by republican at 6:37 AM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]