The Business of Representation

TimeWatch Editorial
May 5, 2016

As we swiftly approach the election of a new President of the United States, with all the attending noise and ruckus, perhaps it is as good a time as any to explain the system used to arrive at the decision. We have been made aware of the debate regarding the assignment of delegates in the primary phase on both the Democratic and Republican sides. We have seen how this method has caused much suspicion as to the honesty or dishonesty of the process. However, simply put, there are an assigned number of delegates to each state. When a candidate wins a state, he or she is assigned delegates based upon the percentage by which he has won. If the margin is wide, then the number of delegates reflects the width of the victory. There is however, always room for manipulation, and so it is possible that these delegates, once assigned, can choose to support some other candidate. That, I am sure does not appear to be fair to some, but that is how it is. In other words, when you therefore vote in a primary, you are assigning delegates who you hope, will carry out your desire and vote for the candidate of your choice.

It gets even more interesting once the primaries are over and we move on to choose the President and Vice-President. Each state holds an election for president in which all eligible citizens may vote. Citizens vote for a "ticket" of candidates that includes a candidate for president and a candidate for vice president. Once the candidate has been chosen in that state, the state then assigns a number of individuals called “Electors” who then represent the state in choosing the President and Vice President. To simplify therefore, a candidate wins based upon the number of state electors who ultimately votes for him, not based upon the number of actual number of people who voted for him. Still confused? Alright, if 1 state has 1000 people who voted for a candidate, but 7 other states has a total of 700 people between them, who voted for the other candidate, then even though the first candidate might have more literal votes, which are called the popular vote, the second candidate wins because he has a larger number of electors, because he won a larger number of states. Get it?

This kind of thing has always been a cause for debate, going back to the beginning of the nation. There were small states and large states. Some thought that Congress should reflect the number of people in the states, but the smaller states argued that they would always be outvoted because of their small size. The larger states argued that they contributed more, and should therefore have the greater say. Finally, it was agreed that they should have two houses in the Federal Government. The Senate would have two individuals to represent each state, regardless of size, and the House of Congress would consist of representatives based upon the population of the state. This is why today, we have 100 Senators representing 50 states, and 435 Congressmen and Women, representing the same 50 states divided by population size.

To maintain and to satisfy this unique structure of government demands a sensitive attention to the matter of representation. As always, the human element enters and attempts to manipulate the system in order to satisfy personal lust and greed. We have in the past number of years seen an attempt to adjust the voting precincts in an attempt to erase the intended protections of the Republic.
We will continue to look at this in the future since we have been warned in the book Great Controversy on page 441 that:

Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and down-trodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.” {GC 441.1}

The book Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4 continues the warning on page 277:

“But the stern tracings of the prophetic pencil reveal a change in this peaceful scene. The beast with lamb-like horns speaks with the voice of a dragon, and "exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him." The spirit of persecution manifested by paganism and the papacy is again to be revealed.”{4SP 277.2}

In order to accomplish this, the system of government must be changed. We will continue to look at this.

Cameron A. Bowen