How come we can elect a winner for American Idol or Top Model but we can't elect a President that way?

It certainly would be cheaper than the present selection process of voting. Why can't we vote for a President that way? Ever try to vote for the best answer twice? Can't be done, because the computer or software knows you already answered so only one vote for a President would be insured. The telephone or the computer would insure a better voter turnout.

To LisaH yeah the politicians have so stated. Do you know that you are already registered as an American citizen when you fill out your income tax form, or your social security. It is the politician that can make the changes needed. Revelation I can now shop without leaving my home, the home shopping channel! Get with the times girl, everyone complains about poor voter turnout but no one is doing anything about it. Why? Because for the type of politicians today it works in their favour to do it this way!

There are a couple problems with that idea.

1) The federal government is a republic, not a democracy. This means that 1 person does not equal one vote, it means we elect people as a group to vote on things for us.

2)There are ways around your idea that are much easier than the safeguards in place (and presently being erroded) in the current voting system. Yes, you can only vote once for a yahoo answer, but if you have multiple accounts you can vote with each. Ditto for telephones. Protecting against this sort of fraud would cost more than what is currently being worked on.

because most of us are not shallow like you

Because then 13-year old girls would be picking our president.
Do you want Hillary Duff as a president?

Is it really so much trouble to take a few minutes to go and vote?

Geez, democracy is doomed.

way to much room for fraud with phone and computer, even American idol has controversy over the votes being wrong

Presidential candidates are not entertaining.

Because you have to be REGISTERED to vote. You have to get off your BUTT to vote. I'm sorry it inconveniences you so to go to your local voting location and cast your ballot.

And quite frankly, I prefer the opinions of people who actually were motivated enough to get up and vote over those that were too lazy to get to the voting booth. If you couldn't get to the polls, your opinion doesn't matter.

And obviously, there is the whole cheating thing! People in political power with millions in funds will most definitely find a way to beat the system, especially when it is as easy as an internet or phone call-in system. These people are not defined by their morality. Come on, now! This is a ridiculous idea, you have no control over who actually casts the vote, no control over cheating, and if you are suggesting that this should be a popularity contest I refer you to a basic 8th grade government class.

And to the asker, I say this in response to "get with the times": GET OFF YOUR @$$ AND VOTE IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE POLITICIANS! Just because you like to shop in your underwear doesn't mean we should change our electoral process. Times have changed and some things are more convenient. I can now shop for car insurance online. I refuse to shop for our President online. I want my ID checked on the voter registration list in person at the booth. I don't want a 14 yr. old hacker doing it for me in his mom's basement with a bag of Cheetoh's. That's my problem. If you don't like it, I don't care. Your opinion doesn't matter, because you probably don't vote.

They do it by computer at the polling station. They have to make sure everyone has registered to vote, so they need you there in person. Plus, if they allowed for people to call more than one time, it wouldn't be a fair count.

get off your butt and go out and vote or else dont complain, its not that difficult to do

Actually we do.

The parties decide on the final 2 though. YOU have a voice and you have to exercise it.

The problem is, the pageantry of the American political process is not the same as AI.

TFTP

Because the most vapid, easily swayed members of society would be the only ones who could vote, as older people don't know a text message from telegram. Also, they're a huge risk of cheating.

just because we put it on the phone doesn't mean everyone will vote. and i think that we shouldn't change the voting system just to help the lazy people.

Because the belief is that the Presidency and other elected offices are not a "popularity contest". And there's no way of keeping track of one citizen one vote. (Although Answers will tell you if you've answered a question before, so maybe through the internet...)

bcasue politics and american idol are totally different things. thered be scams and hacking involved just to elect the president.

ps. people dont vote for Top model. the judges do.

Do you really want the top official to be elected by the most obsessive redialer? I'm not convinced that the system would be so infallible, what with cell phones, land lines, and payphones. Plus the most underrepresented parts of society might not have access to phones, and especially not multiple ones.

I'm all for finding a way to ALSO vote over the computer (there seem to be more tracking opportunities there), but I still have more faith in the booth than in call-ins.

There is always a way to cheat. If man can come up the system someone can break into it. I wouldn't care if the winner of American Idol cheated. I would have compassion for the person that lost unfairly. On the other hand if that were an election for President then that would be a big deal. Politicians always will find new ways to cheat because there is so much money to be made and they all want a piece of the pie. I don't know if there is a fair way to count the votes.

Some would still find a way to cheat. And too many are apathetic about voting for things that matter. You could set it to vote at home and have someone come in to set up the computer so all someone had to do was click and some won't vote.
People in Iraq - with their lives at stake - lined up and waited for HOURS to vote, some travelled days to get there. Here people don't vote because it rained or because Johnny has a game or because it's too hot/cold. It's just not a priority. Less than half the people get off their butts and go vote...something that I don't think anywhere I've been took more than 15 minutes (including CA). I mean it can be mailed to you so all you have to do is X the boxes and drop it in the mail...can't get any easier than curbside service...and still people don't vote.

That's not voting. That is process of illumination

you cant be serious. but i bet if thet did make it like american idol everyone would vote 4 it. it just shows the sad state of america. when we care more about which talentless hack gets a record deal than who runs our country. "gawd blezz amurikkkah and nobudy else " :(

If the US TV shows are anything like here in the uk - we are all probably very lucky that we can't vote by phone or internet - most of the people who win the shows here are those who the public sympathise with most (overweight girl, guy who comes out for the first time, guy with a speech impedement, and on the current big brother - a guy with torrets syndrome!)

The current voting system only allows one vote per person too - it's just that a majority of people are to lazy to get off the couch, possibly miss some programme on tv and go to the voting booth!

Saying that, I have heard quite a few times now that they are looking to try out phone/sms and email voting in some local elections in the future.

How would you stop other forms of voter fraud? like underage voting? criminals voting? or someone who hadn't paid there electric bill, or phone. Can you imagine the way the democrats would be falling all over this if they lost an election again using this system?

Sorry, I find those shows to be horribly and terminally dumb.

Voting is fine the way it is. No sense in messing it up.

Beyond all of the vapid and adelpated responses, here are some facts...

This country USED TO have votes similar to what you are describing... if you look up in your history and do some research on the web, concerning early electoral practices..., you would see that they cast their vote, and the vote stuck...

unfortunately... theres this little fiasco called the electoral college... and all of the votes pass through this ...its a way of screening and filtering the votes based on placement in the country, and who is lobbying for whom and so forth...

thats why our vote doesnt count... its the electoral college that makes the decisions---NOT US

watch V for Vendetta for further information..

( v )

There is far more room for fraud with the use of computers. Does the word "hackers" mean anything to you. And besides, not everybody has a computer or a telephone.

Wait.... let me get this right: We would have greater voter turn out, if we could vote by phone or laptop, while sitting on our butts in front of the television???? That just might be the saddest statement on America, yet. The thing is... how many of the votes for American Idol and Top Model are kids under voting age?
And would all the American Idol and Top Model voters also vote for President? Maybe if the candidates were required to participate in a swimsuit competition (gag) or sing (shudder)...

A good question and a good suggestion but is it practical? What should the prospective candidates present? How do we judge what they say? Of course, as you have mentioned, there are logistical problems too. Maybe we can try 'one-man-one-vote' universal suffrage covering the entire country to elect the president, instead of the present system of primary and then elect, rather select, the president based on some electoral points from each province! Thus, the president of the so-called champion of democracy - USA - is after all not elected democratically!!!

We'd put the politicians out of a job...and we wouldn't be a republic any more...Unfortunately, more people are paying attention to American Idol...a sad state of affairs for America!

because minors will start voting and the government doesn't want that