Quote:
Originally Posted by spindles
We have a standard way of voting too - somehow our (albeit only 7ish) states got together and decided to do all elections the same way - whodathunkit?  So whether we are voting for the local council / state government or federal government, the format used is identical. |
It's not that we can't standardize it more - while I'm against abolishing the electoral college, we could certainly amend the constitution to create certain standards for federal elections, such as requiring all states to use a voting method which complies with the
condorcet criterion.
The lack of standardization just comes from the way our country was set up. Remember, it was not too long ago that we were still fighting over whether we should be a confederacy or a federal government. There is a lot of respect for the role of the state built into our federal system - despite the fact our government, and people, often ignore it.
Most importantly, it's really not a big deal. I think requiring a condorcet method in federal elections is important to ensure the most accurate vote possible, but beyond that I don't think it really matters if Oregon wants to have mail-in ballots while Illinois starts early voting 3 weeks before election day. So long as every state is being fair and accurate, how they choose their electors for president is up to them.