On October 23, Congressman Steve Israel (D-New York) introduced HJR 121. It would provide that the presidential candidate who receives the largest number of popular votes would be granted an extra 29 electoral votes. These extra electoral votes would not be associated with any actual presidential electors. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the news.
There’s no definition of “popular vote.” This gives Congress the ultimate power over determining what constitutes “popular vote.” Also, it doesn’t provide for when a state doesn’t count all of its provisional and absentee ballots when it doesn’t affect the outcome in that state.
Let me propose a better amendment: Keep the electoral college, but with no senatorial electoral votes; that would make it more proportional to population. THEN, have each state aware electoral votes according to proportional results, rather than winner take all.
There is a federal law that requires states and DC to tell the national archivist the exact number of votes received by each recognized candidate for presidential elector. Both the FEC and the Clerk of the US House of Representatives then use this information to tally up national totals.
Abolish the EVIL INSANE electoral college — one of the EVIL last second compromises in the top secret behind closed doors 1787 Federal Convention — due to the EVIL demands of the small States and the even worse EVIL slave States.
Uniform definition of Elector in ALL of the U.S.A.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Simple enough even for the SCOTUS appointed robot party hack morons ???
Steve Israel’s amendment is just arbitrary and nuts.
Congressman, leave the EC alone.
Such an amendment will not be adopted in this century.
The rationale for the Electoral College has been voided by historical changes. Eliminate it and replace with a straight popular vote based upon Instant Runoff where ballot access rules for federal office are set nationally.
Only good things can happen by intoducing and talking about proposal such as this. I hope Rep. Israel is not satisfied just introducing it. Good work Representative.
Instant runoff would be a mess:
http://www.mathgoespop.com/2010/11/instant-runoff-voting-in-oakland.html
But I wonder if there would be a lot of outrage if Romney-or anyone really-won the popular vote by a few pct. points,or a near landslide,and still lost the EC.
If you’re going to change the constitution you could just change it to make all the states award electoral votes on a strictly proportional basis. Or you could award say the first four or five to the plurality winner and proportional after that to make the small states happy.
But the D’s in NY and CA with large secure blocks of EVs will never go for that, so something like Israel’s proposal makes sense.
Here’s another proposal: (not saying I support this, but since crazy proposals were mentioned…) Each State get’s 10 EV’s which must be allocated proportionally.
We need to reform the Electoral College, not abolish it. Should have direct election of each individual Presidential Elector, not as a shadow slate of electors attached to the party’s nominees. The Presidential Electors’ names themselves should be on the ballot seeking votes. Obama and Romney’s names should not be on the ballot. Organize each state into Presidential Elector districts or use the existing congressional districts and two at large. Either way, it should be the individual Presidential Elector candidates our campaigning and putting signs up, not the party nominees. Savy?
Getting back to reality, here’s the kind of filthy mass murderer vomited forth by the US two-party system:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1FaPuBUY558