IS IT TIME
FOR THE STATES TO TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?
January
27th, 2013 | Author: NSRF Administrator
The path to
reaching 270 electoral votes is very simple for Democrats. Republicans
can fix this by switching to “Winner
take all by Congressional district.” This
would in no way dismantle the Electoral College. This is not a call for direct
democracy. It’s totally Constitutional and is Federalism at its best. It ends
voter fraud, preserves the Electoral College, and empowers the states. Maine and Nebraska
State
Legislatures have been given the power by Article Two, Section One of the
Constitution to award their electors in the manner in which they see fit. James
Madison said states should award their Electors in a way that derive the most
benefit for their states.
Romney won
the election everywhere but in the major cities. The fact is, the divide
between urban and rural America America America
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin
Northwoods Patriots - Standing up for Faith, Family, Country - northwoodspatriotscomm@gmail.com
Posts
Republican legislators who want to split state electoral votes in states that have recently voted Democratic in presidential elections, do not want to split electoral votes in states that recently voted Republican in presidential elections.
ReplyDeleteDividing more states’ electoral votes by congressional district winners would magnify the worst features of the Electoral College system.
If the district approach were used nationally, it would be less fair and less accurately reflect the will of the people than the current system. In 2004, Bush won 50.7% of the popular vote, but 59% of the districts. Although Bush lost the national popular vote in 2000, he won 55% of the country's congressional districts.
The district approach would not provide incentive for presidential candidates to campaign in a particular state or focus the candidates' attention to issues of concern to the state. With the 48 state-by-state winner-take-all laws (whether applied to either districts or states), candidates have no reason to campaign in districts or states where they are comfortably ahead or hopelessly behind. Nationwide, there are now only 35 "battleground" districts that were competitive in the 2012 presidential election. With the present deplorable 48 state-level winner-take-all system, 80% of the states (including California and Texas) are ignored in presidential elections; however, 92% of the nation's congressional districts would be ignored if a district-level winner-take-all system were used nationally.
Awarding electoral votes by congressional district could result in third party candidates winning electoral votes that would deny either major party candidate the necessary majority vote of electors and throw the process into Congress to decide.
Because there are generally more close votes on district levels than states as whole, district elections increase the opportunity for error. The larger the voting base, the less opportunity there is for an especially close vote.
Also, a second-place candidate could still win the White House without winning the national popular vote.
A national popular vote is the way to make every person's vote equal and matter to their candidate because it guarantees that the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states and DC becomes President.