Oct 3 2020

SYSK Selects: How the Electoral College Works

Selects 41 min 5 movies discussed
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When you vote in an American presidential election, you're not voting for your candidate - you're voting for a group of people you hope will in turn vote for your candidate. Listen in to learn more about the strange process for electing the president, in this classic episode.

AI Summary

# Electoral College Episode Summary

Josh and Chuck dive deep into America's peculiar and confusing system for electing presidents—the Electoral College—explaining how it works, where it came from, and why it's been controversial for over 200 years. They break down the mechanics of how you're actually voting for electors rather than the president directly, explore historical elections that went haywire (including the messy 2000 Bush v. Gore showdown), and discuss why over 700 proposals have tried to reform or eliminate this system despite most Americans saying they don't like it. It's a fascinating look at one of the most undemocratic aspects of American democracy that turns out to be way more complicated than most voters realize.


Movies Discussed

30 Rock
30 Rock
2006
★ 7.5
"He was on 30 Rock. He did a good job on this. — Mentioned as an example of Al Gore appearing on a comedy show and demonstrating his humor." — Chuck
Firefly
Firefly
2002
★ 8.3
"You watch 14 episodes of that, then the movie, and then you're cut off after four days. — Used as an analogy for binge-watching a limited series, comparing it to going through all SYSK episodes quickly." — Josh
Hey Dude
Hey Dude
1989
★ 6.8
"stars of the cult classic show, Hey Dude, bring you back to the days of slip dresses — Mentioned in advertisement for the 'Hey Dude, the 90s Called' podcast hosted by David Lasher and Christine Taylor."
Roseanne
Roseanne
1988 TV-PG
★ 6.8
"Roseanne's running for president for the Green Party. Roseanne Barr? Yeah. — Referenced as an example of a third-party candidate that electors could be associated with." — Josh
The Simpsons
The Simpsons
1989
★ 8.0
"Did you ever see that Simpsons where Lisa buys Al Gore's one of his books? — Referenced a specific episode where Lisa buys Al Gore's book and the Vice President celebrates." — Chuck

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