Electoral College to be Eliminated?

[decoski]

Check out this news story: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55064
Do you think that a majority vote is better, or did the Founders know something and we should leave it alone? Personally, I have no problem with a majority voting system. My votes are always wasted in my state as liberals outnumber conservatives. I'd like to think that my vote counted for something.

[Teallaura]

Um, what? I don't get what Maryland plans to do that would affect the College that way. Not sending electors is just stupid - that lets all the other states decide which is not necessarily conducive to your own states best interests.

This is a history of the College if anyone is interested: http://www.fec.gov/pdf/eleccoll.pdf

[rogue06]

Bad idea.

[Chuck Lee]

If the states were to follow the Maryland idea of awarding electors based on the popular vote, we would effectively have a majority vote while still having an elector system. That wouldn't really do away with the elector system. Any state could change to another method of choosing electors at any time. Getting rid of the elector system would require a constitutional amendment, and I don't see a groundswell of interest in doing that yet.

But if enough states throw their electors at the popular vote, maybe that groundswell will come in time.

[Bill the Cat]

Bad idea. The College gave a weighted system to each state based on population. If we went to a solely popular vote, who would care about campaigning in Delaware or Montana. For that matter, why would a candidate want to promise anything for these votes in these less populous states? Heck, a smart candidate would promise the moon to California, Texas, and New York and vow to spend large chunks of Federal dollars only in those states for votes. Small states would become the red-headed step children...

[themuzicman]

The electoral system makes the votes of states that arent' in the top 10 in population count.

If this were to happen, California, New York, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan would determine the outcome of every presidential election.

The rest of you wouldn't matter.


The electoral system reflects a federal system of government in which the federal government governs the states. not the people.

It's unfortunate that most of our politicians have forgotten that, but that's how our government was set up.

Michael

[Rayado]

What's worse is that there is a bill being discussed in Arkansas that would cast the state's College votes for the winner of the popular national election, which would nullify the will of the people of that state.

[Selznak]

Bad idea.

Definitely!

[decoski]

Definitely!

Okay, maybe a bad idea, but I am sick and tired of feeling like my vote is wasted in a state where the dark side rules.

[Lizard]

Okay, maybe a bad idea, but I am sick and tired of feeling like my vote is wasted in a state where the dark side rules.

Meh. I think it would be even more wasted (unless you happen to live in a very populous state) if the EC was done away with.