Rural states are almost entirely ignored in presidential elections because of the current state-by-state winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes.
None of the 10 most rural states were closely divided battleground states in either the 2012 or 2016 presidential election.
Political influence in the Electoral College is based on whether the state is a closely divided battleground state. Under the current state-by-state system of awarding electoral votes, presidential candidates ignore states where they are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. Thus, none of the 10 most rural states received any state-level attention from presidential candidates.
Moreover, only five of the 25 most rural states received any general-election campaign visits during 2012 and 2016, namely New Hampshire (12th most rural), Iowa (the 13th most rural), North Carolina (the 16th most rural), Wisconsin (the 20th most rural), and Minnesota (the 25th most rural). more.
The National Popular Vote bill will guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Under the National Popular Vote bill, every voter in every state would be politically relevant in every presidential election. more