--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people don't understand the…" description: "\"Most people don't understand the Electoral College; they don't know why it exists.\" — Tom Golisano" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/tom-golisano-24692_college_most-people-don-t-understand-the-elector_667695.jpg" --- # Most people don't understand the Electoral College; they… ![“Most people don't understand the Electoral College; they don't know why it exists.” quote by Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/tom-golisano-24692_college_most-people-don-t-understand-the-elector_667695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/tom-golisano-24692_college_most-people-don-t-understand-the-elector_667695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/tom-golisano-24692_college_most-people-don-t-understand-the-elector_667695.jpg) > “Most people don't understand the Electoral College; they don't know why it exists.” [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many citizens lack basic knowledge about the purpose and history of the Electoral College. **In simple terms:** People often don't know why the Electoral College exists. Key Takeaway Learn the system's origins and its role in elections. Themes civic education government electoral systems Mood confused inquisitive Type informational educational When to use this quote - voter education - civic discussions - school curricula - media analysis Key Concepts American politics constitutional design Questions to Reflect On - Why was the Electoral College created? - How does it affect modern elections? A Different Perspective The Electoral College can be seen as outdated in a digital age. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Electoral college](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electoral-college/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I will never understand the Electoral College, my ex, or how some people don't like chocolate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-will-never-understand-the-electoral-college-my-ex-or-how-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't understand the Electoral College unless you know what federalism is, and federalism is one of these terms that, in many cases, means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-can-t-understand-the-electoral-college-unless-you-know-what/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Trying to understand the Electoral College is like trying to figure out how the BCS calculates its College Football Rankings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trying-to-understand-the-electoral-college-is-like-trying-to-figure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What is the purpose of the electoral college? It has a few purposes. One, it's to restrain pure democracy. Very good, very important, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-electoral-college-it-has-a-few-purposes/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [Time and again a close election leads to hand-wringing about the need for Electoral College reform; time and again, politicians and parties respond to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/time-and-again-a-close-election-leads-to-hand-wringing-about-the-need/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [I never stop running. I'm not one of the weenies who drop out just because the electoral college votes. I'm still in the race.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-never-stop-running-i-m-not-one-of-the-weenies-who-drop-out-just/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The Democrat Party, particularly with demographic shifts taking, would love to get rid of the Electoral College.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-democrat-party-particularly-with-demographic-shifts-taking-would/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Shouldn't Obama take some of the electoral college votes he worked hard for and hand them out to the other candidates?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shouldn-t-obama-take-some-of-the-electoral-college-votes-he-worked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Electoral College has been with us since the first days of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-electoral-college-has-been-with-us-since-the-first-days-of-america/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Electoral College; Making nobody's vote count for 200 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/electoral-college-making-nobody-s-vote-count-for-200-years/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one likes the Electoral College, expect perhaps those who were elected because of it. No one likes gerrymandering, except those doing the gerrymandering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bleyer/no-one-likes-the-electoral-college-expect-perhaps-those-who-were/) [Kevin Bleyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bleyer/) > [While imperfect, the electoral college has generally served the republic well. It forces candidates to campaign in a variety of closely contested races, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-daley/while-imperfect-the-electoral-college-has-generally-served-the/) [William M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-daley/) > [America voted Romney. Electoral college voted Obama. Stop being ignorant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/america-voted-romney-electoral-college-voted-obama-stop-being-ignorant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I ran for the electoral college. I didn't run for the popular vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-ran-for-the-electoral-college-i-didn-t-run-for-the-popular-vote/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Tom Golisano > [That's part of being an entrepreneur - you watch your pennies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/that-s-part-of-being-an-entrepreneur-you-watch-your-pennies/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [By the end of 1978, we had 11 partners and six franchisees, we were operating in 22 cities, and we had about 6,000 clients.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/by-the-end-of-1978-we-had-11-partners-and-six-franchisees-we-were/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [A lot of politicians say they want to get people out to vote; sometimes you can't totally believe they really want that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/a-lot-of-politicians-say-they-want-to-get-people-out-to-vote/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [What made me this way was watching my father go through bad employment experiences. When I was 17, and he was 65, I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/what-made-me-this-way-was-watching-my-father-go-through-bad/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [The National Popular Vote is about getting states to convert from the winner-take-all rule. The states that pass the legislation will assign all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/the-national-popular-vote-is-about-getting-states-to-convert-from-the/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [I've been paying a lot of money in state income taxes, and I've been happy to do it, but when this last thing happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/i-ve-been-paying-a-lot-of-money-in-state-income-taxes-and-i-ve-been/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [I came up with the idea for what later became Paychex in 1970 when I was working for Electronic Accounting Systems, a company that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/i-came-up-with-the-idea-for-what-later-became-paychex-in-1970-when-i/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [In New York, the average total state and local tax burden is $5,260 for every man, woman and child. That's by far the highest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/in-new-york-the-average-total-state-and-local-tax-burden-is-5-260-for/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [We picked a great marketplace. We were a pioneer in payroll processing for very small companies. And we had the perseverance and good fortune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/we-picked-a-great-marketplace-we-were-a-pioneer-in-payroll-processing/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [Politicians like to talk about incentives - for businesses to relocate, for example, or to get folks to buy local.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/politicians-like-to-talk-about-incentives-for-businesses-to-relocate/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [I'm not possessed about owning the Buffalo Bills, just as I wasn't possessed about owning the Buffalo Sabres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/i-m-not-possessed-about-owning-the-buffalo-bills-just-as-i-wasn-t/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [Baseball has been my favorite sport all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/baseball-has-been-my-favorite-sport-all-my-life/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [If you have fewer teenagers having children, they could focus more on their vocational development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/if-you-have-fewer-teenagers-having-children-they-could-focus-more-on/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [I love New York. But how much should it cost to call New York home? Decades of out-of-control budgets, spending hikes, and relentless borrowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/i-love-new-york-but-how-much-should-it-cost-to-call-new-york-home/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) > [If we go by the National Popular Vote, we'll get more people voting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golisano/if-we-go-by-the-national-popular-vote-we-ll-get-more-people-voting/) [Tom Golisano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) [Explore all 24 Tom Golisano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golisano/) ## More College quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. 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They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Some people, you know, should just go to college and do what they do and have a great job and not worry about trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/some-people-you-know-should-just-go-to-college-and-do-what-they-do/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Children should finish school and even go to college if they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/children-should-finish-school-and-even-go-to-college-if-they-can/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) > [I was totally sober in college and really, really focused. I just took the time when other people might be partying and just made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/i-was-totally-sober-in-college-and-really-really-focused-i-just-took/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [In college we didn't pass block the way they do in the pros - they played the I-formation at Wisconsin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-webster/in-college-we-didn-t-pass-block-the-way-they-do-in-the-pros-they/) [Mike Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-webster/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [My son going to college is a big milestone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gore/my-son-going-to-college-is-a-big-milestone/) [Frank Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gore/) > [The reason I got into acting was not to explore myself. I was a reader, I didn't care about acting. 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