A break from theological: Some political analysis

With the election coming up, people are wondering who to vote for president. Understanding the process can help you vote in a way that you can make the biggest impact.

First, a little civics. You don't vote for president: you vote for electors that cast their vote at the electoral college. Each state gets electors for each congressman and senator from that state. So Tennesse gets 11 electors. And the 11 electors will vote for whoever gets the majority of the votes for president.

With modern polling techniques, one can know how these electors are going to vote. A look at Real Clear Politics can show you the breakdown by state. Since Tennessee is solid McCain, there is little doubt that McCain will get the states 11 electoral votes. If this does not happen, by the way, Obama would probably win with a landslide victory as Tennessee is currently quite solid.

This leads one to the logical conclusion for voters in Tennessee and other solid states: your vote will have very little effect on the presidential election.

But this does not mean your vote cannot make a difference. A vote for a third party can make a big difference. The major political parties will recognize this because you are the "swing vote" and, in a close race, can make a difference in the outcome. Some of the positions you think are important may be adopted by the major parties to get your vote.

There will be many choices besides the two major parties: Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, Bob Barr of the Libertarian Party, Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party, and independent Ralph Nader to name some of the other candidates. By voting for a third party, you can vote for someone you really support rather than the lesser-of-two-evils. In a state that already solidly supports a candidate, you can do this without the fear of changing the election, and make a statement with your vote. Research each candidate and, if they represent your views better, vote for that person. Don't waste your vote!