Four Michigan State Representatives have introduced HB 4310. It provides that each U.S. House district would elect its own presidential elector. The bill’s authors apparently forgot that Michigan has procedures for independent presidential candidates to get on the ballot, and procedures for write-ins as well. The bill only refers to party nominees for presidential elector. Here is a link to the bill.
The four sponsors are Cindy Gamrat, Todd Courser, Thomas Hooker, and Gary Glenn. Michigan used the system of letting each district choose its own presidential elector in the 1892 election.
Richard, Is Pennsylvania trying to do this again this year? I seem to recall that there was a movement there in the past, but could be mistaken.
No Pennsylvania legislator will try this idea this year, because Pennsylvania elected a Democratic Governor last year. He would veto it and they know it. By contrast, Michigan still has a Republican Governor and Republicans have majorities in both houses of the legislature.
In the Arizona redistricting case, the SCOTUS decision concerning the election of Michigan presidential electors in 1892 was discussed. The SCOTUS in that case ruled that the Michigan legislature was acting within its Section 2 authority when they delegated the appointment of individual presidential electors (by popular vote) to the voters of each congressional district. Similarly, a Legislature could delegate drawing of congressional districts to a commission, just they delegate other election administrative duties to the Secretary of State, and local election administrators.
An interesting feature of the 1892 plan was that the two extra electors were allocated to groups of congressional districts. If that practice were followed in 2016, two electors would each be elected from 7 congressional districts.
Current Michigan law regarding election of presidential electors (MCL 168.41 to MCL 168.47) does not on its face have a provision for statewide electors supporting a non-party candidate.
However, MCL 168.590d requires non-party presidential candidates to name their associated presidential electors in compliance with MCL 168.41 (Michigan requires one presidential elector nominee to live in each congressional district).
Again, the real solution is to eliminate letting the party presidential nominees run for office. Instead, we should have the presidential electors themselves as the actual candidates out campaigning for the position. Independent candidates could petition for ballot access as such an elector. They would just be focusing on one part of their state. An independent presidential candidate would need 538 volunteers to run as candidates on their behalf to cover all the bases. Not sure what an appropriate filing fee would be for presidential elector since there is no salary to base it on. $100 would seem reasonable.
A part of the nonstop gerrymander CONSPIRACY by BOTH EVIL and VICIOUS ANTI-Democracy minority rule OLIGARCH gangs —
A plurality of the votes in a bare majority of the gerrymander areas — to get CONTROL.
How soon before Civil WAR II ???
— esp. if the 2016 Donkey Prez person get more popular votes than the 2016 Elephant Prez person BUT the Elephant is elected via the 12th Amdt ???
See the various civil wars in the dying Roman Republic from 120 BC to 27 BC – wiped out by Augustus Caesar — TYRANT empire formed.
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
What “problem,” exactly, does your “solution” solve?
The idea has merits in one way, and drawbacks in another. It might help the GOP more so than the Democratic Party, because the Democratic majorities are located in the masses of the Urban areas. I would have to see a map showing which candidates carried the congressional districts, then see if it made any difference on who got the most electoral votes overall.
Thankfully, (if thanks is the proper word) most of the minority voters are congregating in the cities. But the rural districts are still GOP territory. So the GOP nominee would get 2 or 3 electoral votes, even if the state was carried by the Democratic nominee.
But you can be sure, once a pattern was established, the ultra-liberals would get the Constitution amended doing away with the Electoral College all together. As more and more illegal immigrants enter the country, many of them will become voters, even without becoming a citizen, and they will win the Presidency at every election.
I’m not a Republican, but I’ve tried to reason with the GOP and tell them to give up on the Presidency, nominate a nominal candidate, but put the bulk of their money on races for U.S. Senators, where hopefully they will have a majority of them, being able to kill any U.S. Supreme Court nominee put forth by a Democrat President, and kill any legislation that he/she wants.
Thank God, our Founding Fathers designed our form of government, where we can keep a dictator from taking over. We might have a President who is frustrated because their Supreme Court nominee is not accepted, but they will not be able to put ultra-liberals on the Court who will serve for life, forcing their doctrine on us for decades to come.
Of course, once the ultra-liberals become an overwhelming majority in this nation, then they can hold a Constitutional Convention and totally re-write the Constitution. Then we will become a “banana republic” and will destroy ourselves from within. Thank God, I will not be around when that happens, but I do feel sorry for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will have to live in such a destructive society.
Attention AI –
A Prez can kill his enemies in the gerrymander Congress and the Federal courts and pardon him/her self and fellow killer gangsters.
The Prez veto is FATAL also.
Both DARK AGE parts of the EVIL English/British MONARCHY.
Chain of EVIL –
Progressives
Socialists
Liberals
Communists
Donkeys
All EVIL and jealous folks — wanting to 100 percent LOOT the income and assets of other folks.
See Cain the first communist in the Bible.
Will the flippant Obama mouth start Civil WAR II before his term ends ???
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
AI –
For an “independent” you do a pretty good job of imitating a conservative Republican.
Fear urban Americans
Fear minorities
“Ultra liberals” are out to rewrite the Constitution
Illegal aliens want to invade the US to…vote?
Oppose any USSC nominee a Democratic president might offer
Oppose any legislation a Democratic president might favor
Sounds pretty “un-Independent” to me. Sounds like a Rush Limbaugh tool.