Actually you have the voting systems confused. What you are referring to is local election. I am referring to presidential elections.
The popular vote (what you do on election day) doesn't mean a damn. The final decision comes down to your state representatives. But, they usually vote according to the popular vote. So why have representatives have the final word? Why have popular vote at all? It's to make people feel like they have a bigger say in gov't then they actually do. In fact, your 2 cents do not mean a dime. Pun very much intended.